SupplySide West 2024: Cocrystal Health Industry unveils curcumin and lutein powder with bioavailability boost

At this week’s SupplySide West trade show (October 30–31) in Las Vegas, US, China-based Cocrystal Health Industry will launch its Cocrystal Lutein and Curcumin powder actives with improved bioabsorption, stability and functionality. The company’s cocrystal powder technologies offer solutions for ingredients with poor stability and low bioavailability. 

The company will also present its existing portfolio of cocrystallized ingredients, including Ubiquinol CoQ10, Hydroxytyrosol and Alpha Tocopherol Vitamin E. 

“Our proprietary platform solves multiple nutrition brand concerns — providing meaningful differentiation and benefit performance to their consumers while ensuring sustained potency against label claim,” says Alex Mei, Ph.D., Cocrystal Health Industry’s founder and CEO.

Enhancing bioavailability

The company highlights that both lutein and curcumin are limited by poor bioavailability. In addition, traditional lutein ingredients are easily oxidized, meaning they have poor solubility and stability. Patents and clinical research support the higher bioabsorption rates of the company’s cocrystal options. 

Clinical research links the plant pigment lutein to eye health support. For example, a recent study found that adding 57 g of pistachios to a daily diet for 12 weeks “significantly improved” eye health due to their lutein content. The pigment helped to protect the retina from blue or visible light by increasing macular pigment optical density. 

According to third-party testing, Cocrystal Lutein offers six times greater bioabsorption and three times higher solubility than typical lutein ingredients. The company also notes that in a capsule stability study, Cocrystal Lutein maintained over 99% of its potency in capsules after 30 days. 

Similarly, studies have shown that Cocrystal Curcumin offers a tenfold higher bioabsorption rate compared to typical curcumin. The patented product features L-carnitine as a ligand. 

Other companies also offer solutions to improve curcumin’s absorption issues. For example, Gencor’s LipiSperse technology helps increase curcumin’s bioavailability and functionality for food and beverage applications. 

Clinical studies support curcumin’s benefits on joint and cognitive health. Supplements containing curcumin or the botanical turmeric are increasingly popular on international markets. A recent survey found that it was one of the most commonly used botanicals among US adults.