Sabinsa welcomes Canadian patents for turmeric, ginger and peptide offerings

23 Oct 2020 --- Sabinsa has scored three new patents in Canada for its turmeric, ginger and peptide ingredients. The patents help to protect the marketplace from “low-quality” copycats looking to cause disruption, notes the company.

Patent CA2976689 relates to a water-soluble form of curcumin, which Sabinsa sells under the brand named uC3 Clear. 

The patent discloses a method of solubilizing curcuminoids using polyvinyl pyrrolidone and sodium bis (2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate.

The aqueous solubility of curcumin or curcuminoid mixtures is enhanced to more than 10 to 15 percent w/v in water. Sabinsa developed this product to solve solubility challenges with the use of curcumin in functional beverages. 

Sabinsa also attained a Natural Products Number (NPN) for its uC3 CLEAR composition for the Canadian Natural Health Products market with these claims: 

• Provides antioxidants for maintenance of good health
• Used in herbal medicine to help relieve joint inflammation

This takes Sabinsa’s number of products with health claims in Canada to 37. 

Functional food and beverages take off
Curcuminoids, curcumin and turmeric are not interchangeable terms – but they are closely linked. Curcuminoids are sets of molecules within the root turmeric with different chemical groups that naturally form to increase solubility and make them suitable for drug formulation.

Solubility is crucial as consumers become increasingly interested in “star” ingredients like turmeric, as detailed in one of Innova Market Insights’ top trends for this year. The market researcher notes that one in two global consumers have increased their consumption of functional foods or beverages. 

This includes Zyn’s curcumin drink, which contains black pepper to activate the absorption of the curcumin. 

Bioavailability helps make functional food and drinks with curcumin standout. Meanwhile, Holland & Barrett’s Vitaboost Turmeric is an effervescent curcumin tablet. This novel format is produced with LipiSperse, which addresses curcumin’s lipophilic nature and aids bioavailability.

Sabinsa also harnesses curcuminoids for medical uses. In July, a study found that the company’s C3 Complex can help decrease pro-inflammatory cytokine leptins in critically ill patients with traumatic brain injury. 

Anti-cancer properties
Sabinsa has also landed patent CA2979287 for the anti-cancer properties of a compound isolated from Thai ginger called (E)-4-(3’, 4’-Dimethoxyphenyl) but-1,3-diene (DMBPD). 

The patent discloses a concentration-dependent in-vitro anti-tumorigenic activity of (E)-1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl) butadiene on pancreatic, prostate and ovarian cancer cells.

The company notes that the ability of DMPBD to cause a significant decrease in the expression of cell adhesion molecules is evaluated by flow cytometric studies on pancreatic carcinoma cells. This points to the molecule’s specific function as an anti-metastatic agent.

The compound has also been granted patents in the US, Australia, Russia, New Zealand and Japan.Sabinsa has also landed a patent for the anti-cancer properties of a compound isolated from Thai ginger. 

Peptides for cosmetic applications
Sabinsa’s third Canadian patent, CA2975170, is for the use of Olepent cosmetic peptides in maintaining water hydration by increasing the expression of a water channel protein called aquaporin 5 (AQP5).

The patent describes how the Opelent increases the expression of genes and associated proteins for improving skin barrier function in hydration deficient human skin.

The body has naturally occurring peptides that are instrumental in stimulating the healing process and controlling skin aging signs. This was the idea behind using peptides for cosmetic applications.

One such peptide is the C-terminal fragment of collagen 1, which constitutes the peptide Lys-Thr-Thr-Lys-Ser and can stimulate collagen synthesis.

Sabinsa’s R&D scientists linked this peptide with oleanolic acid, which has beneficial pro-aging effects. It showed significantly better pro-aging properties – like elastase and collagenase inhibition – than the individual ingredients, making it a promising combination. 

Earlier this month, Sabinsa was also granted a Mexican patent for a combination of ingredients touted for protecting hair.

In July, it gained Non-GMO Project Verified status for eleven of its key ingredients. The company sees this added-value move as an extension of its commitment to transparency and natural, environmentally sustainable ingredients.

Edited by Katherine Durrell