Sabinsa’s turmeric extract receives positive novel food safety opinion in Great Britain

Curcumin C3 Reduct, Sabinsa’s standardized extract of bioactives from turmeric (Curcuma longa L.), has received a positive novel food safety opinion for use in food supplements in Great Britain. 

The ingredient contains several antioxidants, or tetrahydrocurcuminoids, which are colorless, hydrogenated derivatives of yellow curcuminoids (mainly curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, and bisdemethoxycurcumin) from the rhizomes of turmeric.

The UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) have issued a joint positive safety opinion for Curcumin C3 Reduct for inclusions in food supplements at a maximum daily dose of 140 mg for adults above 18 years, excluding pregnant and lactating women.

“This positive opinion represents an important milestone for Curcumin C3 Reduct and underscores Sabinsa’s commitment to rigorous science and regulatory transparency,” says Shaheen Majeed, Global CEO and managing director at Sabinsa.

“We are pleased that both the FSA and FSS have concluded that our tetrahydrocurcuminoid ingredient is safe under the proposed conditions of use, and we look forward to supporting supplement brands in Great Britain with a well-characterized curcuminoid ingredient.”

Purification process

Sabinsa produces Curcumin C3 Reduct by converting natural turmeric compounds into a highly absorbable form using hydrogen, yielding a purified powder containing 95% tetrahydrocurcuminoids.

Sabinsa produces Curcumin C3 Reduct by converting natural turmeric compounds into a highly absorbable form using hydrogen.Curcumin C3 Reduct contains tetrahydrocurcumin, tetrahydrodesmethoxycurcumin, and tetrahydrobisdemethoxycurcumin. It is manufactured under Good Manufacturing Practices conditions and complies with ISO 22000 standards for the production of standardized herbal extracts and phytonutrients. 

Sabinsa highlights its ingredient’s “excellent stability,” with a shelf life of 60 months under ambient conditions.

The publication follows a safety dossier that Sabinsa Europe submitted in September 2023, which is backed by multiple toxicological studies, genotoxicity assessments, compositional analyses, and human data.

The FSA and FSS found no concerns regarding allergenicity, genotoxicity, or product stability, concluding that the ingredient’s recommended use is not expected to pose a safety concern for the general population.

This follows a positive opinion issued by the European Food Safety Authority in October 2021. In 2022, it was authorized as a novel food in the EU. Northern Ireland, part of the UK, follows EU rules and the European Commission’s authorization process for novel foods.

Curcumin C3 Reduct is also generally recognized as safe in the US.

“Receiving novel recognition in Great Britain is a significant achievement for our European operations and reflects the strength of the scientific dossier our team assembled in support of this application,” says Umar Jan, president of Sabinsa’s European operations.

“The final authorization will open new opportunities for supplement brands across England, Scotland, and Wales to incorporate Curcumin C3 Reduct into their product lines with confidence, backed by the thorough review of both the FSA and FSS.”

Golden ingredient

Turmeric’s health halo continues to shine in nutraceutical formulations, as companies continue to advance the Ayurvedic ingredient’s bioavailability and absorption rates.

In April, Lubrizol Nutraceuticals designed a new gummy concept containing 100 mg of Curcushine, the company’s proprietary microencapsulated curcumin extract. In the following month, the company showcased this application at the Vitafoods Europe 2026 trade show in Barcelona, Spain.

Earlier this year, landmark research supported the absorption rates of Givaudan’s proprietary turmeric formulation, TurmiPure Gold, which addresses common challenges in turmeric applications such as high dosage requirements and poor solubility.

A clinical study affirmed that the ingredient achieves similar or improved absorption of curcuminoids across a variety of dietary supplement applications compared to traditional capsules. It was also shown to support post-exercise sports recovery.