Valensa Awarded U.S. Patents on Omega-3 Perilla Seed Compositions

28 Sep 2015 --- Valensa International announced today that it has received a series of patents covering the composition and application of nutraceutical formulations featuring Perilla seed oil as a major component.

The most important of these new patents is one that covers the use of Perilla seed oil alone or in combination with other Omega-3 sources such as krill oil, algae oils, fish oils and other seed oils for cardiovascular health support. Recent research points to the importance of a lowered Omega-6/Omega-3 ratio and its impact on chronic inflammation in the body as a major contributor to better cardiovascular health. Numerous studies have shown that a high Omega-6/Omega-3 ratio increases the risk of heart attacks and stroke by as much as 30%

With an Omega-3 to Omega-6 ratio of 6:1 – the highest naturally occurring seed-based ratio in nature – Perilla seed oil is an ideal way to address the Omega-6/Omega-3 imbalance which is common to Western diets, but which is also a feature of vegan and vegetarian diets because of the difficulty these groups have in consuming adequate amounts of Omega-3 from food sources.

Today, Valensa markets a range of supercritical CO2 extract Perilla-based formulations including Verill Perilla Seed Extract, Kerill Perilla Seed Extract + Krill Oil, VerillaMa Perilla Seed Flour, Zanthin Xp- Perilla seed extract with astaxanthin and Z-Omega 3-6- – a combination of chia seed extract, Perilla seed extract and olive extract. The company plans to utilize this new intellectual property in a range of new formulated products.

According to Dr. Rudi E. Moerck, President & CEO of Valensa, new research on the vegan and vegetarian communities is starting to bring the role of different types of Omega-3 fatty acids the cardiovascular health into better focus. “Recent research has shown us that cardiovascular mortality rates for vegans and vegetarians are higher than those who consume a Western-type meat-based diet – despite the positive impact that vegan/vegetarian diets have on important CVD markers. Even newer research points us to why this may be the case. Vegetarians – and even more so vegans – have a very high Omega-6 to Omega-3 fatty acid ratio in their systems – up to 15 to 17:1 and science tells us that this number needs to be closer to 4:1. These high ratios stimulate the production of arachidonic acid (AA) which greatly increases inflammation in the body, which can lead to a number of different chronic health conditions – particularly cardiovascular disease and strokes,” he said.

“Perilla seed oil is a remarkable natural substance because of its Omega-3/Omega-6 composition of 6:1 its containing up to 60% alphalinolenic acid (ALA). We’re excited about the opportunity to develop a range of new Perilla-based formulations for cardiovascular support – particularly as we begin to refine our understanding of the benefits of different marine and algae-based Omega-3s in supplying EPA/DHA and how they can work together with Perilla to create revolutionary formulations for cardiovascular support,” he said.

All of Valensa’s Perilla-based ingredients start with a supercritical CO2 extract of select grade seeds of the Perilla frutescens plant. This is a high quality extract and features Valensa’s proprietary O2 Peroxidation Blocker technology for optimal shelf-life stability, particularly in comparison to unstable expeller-pressed Perilla products that experience oxidation and rancidification during and after the manufacturing process. The flavor of supercritical CO2 Perilla seed extract is milder than either Chia or Flax. The new Perilla patents cover the manufacturing of Perilla seed extract, the defatted Perilla seed process (flour) and its use in cardiovascular, joint health and eye health applications.

According to Moerck, fighting chronic inflammation is the goal behind the science and commercialization of Perilla alone and in combination with other ingredients. “When the history of the early 21st Century is written, we’re going to look at a time when we came to grips with a major, preventable underlying cause of illness in our society – chronic inflammation. We’re talking about heart health, brain health, eye health, joint health, obesity and more. Every day, new research is giving us insights on how we can combine different forms of Omega-3 fatty acids – EPA, DHA and ALA – as well as different sources of these fatty acids to fine-tune our nutritional support products. Today, with Perilla, we’re talking about cardiovascular support. In the future, we’ll be broadening our horizons,” he said.