Plant-based and healthy aging trends intersect in Euromed’s Mediterranean extracts

29 Oct 2021 --- Consumer emphasis is shifting from disease treatment to prevention, driving interest in natural ingredients like fruit and vegetable extracts. Ahead of a webinar next week, Andrea Zangara, Euromed’s head of scientific communications and marketing, speaks to NutritionInsight about what this means for the healthy aging market specifically. 

“According to forecasts, two billion people will be aged 60 or older in 2050, so preparing for a longer, healthier life has never been more vital,” he emphasizes. 

Zangara explains that as people tend to live longer, they are keen to maintain their mental and physical vitality. People over 50 are willing to make changes to their lifestyle to extend their active and healthy portion of life.

Additionally, the longer-term consequences of the extended COVID-19 lockdown on the healthy aging market are yet to be seen.

“However, it will likely boost a more holistic approach to nutritional supplements, with increased awareness that nutritional interventions work better together with healthy lifestyles. There will also be a gradual fading of the concept of the magic ingredient with unreasonable and unsupported claims,” he argues. When a specific extract is standardized for specific compounds, it is important to scientifically verify its properties.

Plant-based comes to the fore
In addition to tapping into the healthy aging market, fruit and vegetable extracts also capitalize on the booming and ever-evolving plant-based trend. 

“The preference for plant-based substances, driven primarily by the increasing popularity of a vegan lifestyle, has expanded. The market is certainly more receptive to products that are as natural as possible and with similar health-promoting value as the foods they consume,” explains Zangara.

Predominantly plant-based dietary patterns are recommended to support longevity and well-being, he continues. 

“In our case, being located in Spain, we identified in the Mediterranean diet a great inspiration for safe and effective ingredients.” 

The health benefits of this mostly plant-based diet, characterized by a high intake of fruit, vegetables and olive oil, are well documented and partly relate to its high content of phytochemicals, such as polyphenols.

Maximizing the Mediterranean diet
In order to achieve the Mediterranean diet’s maximum benefits, it may be necessary to consume several servings of fruit and vegetables every day and large amounts of olive oil – a difficult target for many to achieve and one that includes additional calories.

“That’s why Euromed’s standardized natural extracts offer some of the health-promoting values typical of the Mediterranean diet in a more practical format.”

For example, Wellemon, its lemon extract, offers various bioflavonoids, including a standardized content of eriocitrin. These bioflavonoids work in synergy to provide an ample spectrum of beneficial properties, from cardiovascular to cosmetic.

Meanwhile, Spisar is a spinach extract standardized to 20-hydroxyecdysone. Spinach’s natural phytohormone ecdysterone is considered both ergogenic and adaptogenic, contributing to the preservation of muscle function. This has proven to be particularly beneficial for those aged over 50 years old, in combination with strength training.

Both of these offerings were launched earlier this month, joining Euromed’s fig, artichoke, olive and pomegranate extracts. In a recent video interview, Zangara also shared information about the clinical studies underpinning Spisar and Wellemon. Plant-based, free-from, traceable and sustainable are new market requests for the healthy aging category.

Harnessing water-only extraction
All of Euromed’s extracts use Pure-Hydro Process technology. It is a modern version of a traditional extraction method, similar to how infusions are made with a teabag – all based on physical procedures. 

It begins with the aqueous processing of fruits with ultra-pure water. The extract is then purified using solvent-free techniques until a powder extract is obtained from aqueous solutions without using other solvents than water.

The ratio of the water-soluble compounds like polyphenols is maintained as in the fresh fruit, but more concentrated.

“This eco-friendly extraction process completely eliminates the risk for residual content of volatile solvents as ethanol or acetone in the extract, and, for the pomegranate, the potential risks for toxic alkaloids related to extraction with such organic solvents,” explains Zangara. 

On November 4, Euromed’s webinar will also detail two recently concluded studies about Spisar and Wellemon. Registration is open here. 

By Katherine Durrell