New Method to Differentiate Dietary Zeaxanthin from Non Dietary Isomers

Dietary Zeaxanthin, the 3R 3’R isomer, is the only one present in food and is the only one approved for use in Dietary Supplements. It is a critical nutrient for eye health.

Oct 14 2010 --- Members of the Zeaxanthin Trade Association have adopted and published a common chiral analytical method to measure the relative percentages of the different Zeaxanthin stereoisomers (3R,3’R), (3R,3’S) and (3S,3’S) in dietary ingredients and finished product forms of dietary supplements. The method will help dietary supplement and food manufacturers make sure that no zeaxanthin isomers other than the 3R 3’R are present in the zeaxanthin they source for their finished products, and make sure they are in compliance with GMP standards and FDA and EU regulations.

The method was developed by chemists at DSM Nutritional Products, Kalsec, Inc., and Chrysantis Inc. in an interlab study that lasted six months.
 
Dietary Zeaxanthin, the 3R 3’R isomer, is the only one present in food and is the only one approved for use in Dietary Supplements. It is a critical nutrient for eye health, which may help guard against vision problems such as Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and may improve several aspects of visual function.
 
“The method is an important step in the Association’s efforts to help all Zeaxanthin users comply with the regulatory framework in the manufacturing of dietary supplements containing Zeaxanthin,” says Kevin Meyle, Director of Product Management - Nutritional Ingredients, Kalsec, Inc.
 
The Association has been working with suppliers of high purity reagents to assure that the analytical standards necessary for the proper identification of the different isomers are available to the industry.
 
“Easy access to the standards has been one of the problems the Association had to solve before the method could actually be published,” says Kristina Cselovszky, Global Business Manager, DSM Nutritional Products.
 
The method will be available at the Zeaxanthin Trade Association members’ websites. “This is just one example of positive self regulation of the Dietary Supplement Industry,” says Manuel Pavon, General Manager, Chrysantis, Inc.