Valensa International scores second verification for saw palmetto extract

08 Apr 2020 --- Valensa International has received renewed United States Pharmacopeia (USP) Ingredient Verification Program for Dietary Ingredients (IVP-DI) status for its USPlus saw palmetto extract. For the second consecutive year, the company has demonstrated its saw palmetto extract meets the necessary identity, quality, potency and purity standards. Such third-party certifications help botanical brands boost their credibility with consumers as adulteration efforts wreak havoc in this space.

“Achieving USP Verified status again is a testament to Valensa’s commitment to quality, from the extraction process through the delivery of a quality extract to our customers. I believe this third-party verification is important to building consumer trust, especially with saw palmetto where there are unethical efforts to push adulterated products labeled ‘saw palmetto,’” affirms Umasudhan Pal, CEO of Valensa.

In 2018, the company responded to fraudulent claims on many saw palmetto ranges by offering a free analysis of any commercial grade ingredient claiming to be saw palmetto. “We had to do this, as we heard companies were buying saw palmetto oil and mixing it with palm oil or other cheap vegetable oils,” Pal previously told NutritionInsight.

He further outlined that the health benefits of saw palmetto berries are gained from its oil, which must be extracted from ripened berries. “There must be a specific ratio of fatty acids that cannot be imitated. We offer this service to protect customers from fake or copycat saw palmetto products.”

Last September, the American Botanical Council expressed its concern on “how low some fraudsters in the global botanical extract market are willing to go to make an illicit profit.” Its response led its Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program to publish a laboratory guidance document on saw palmetto authenticity detection. The document is touted as being instrumental in safeguarding product safety and eliminating adulterated supplements from the nutraceutical market.

Saw palmetto berries.Commitment to quality
Last July, Valensa became the first company to have a saw palmetto extract successfully complete the IVP-DI. “Qualifying for this verification program is an accomplishment that demonstrates Valensa International’s commitment to quality. It also provides manufacturers of finished products with the ability to easily identify Valensa International’s USPlus as a quality dietary ingredient they can trust,” adds John Atwater, Senior Director of USP Verification Services.

Previously, the company also received the Fresh From Florida logo, which recognizes sustainable crops, responsible harvesting and local growth. Following the 2018 hurricane damage in Florida, the company hosted an expert panel to examine the event’s impact on saw palmetto extract’s sustainability in terms of pricing, purity and adulteration of the botanical extract.

Hailing them as “Florida treasures,” Valensa manually harvests the saw palmetto’s mature, dried palm berries and extracts the oil using an ultrahigh pressure, supercritical carbon dioxide extraction process. Containing a phytonutrient profile rich in important fatty acids and sterols, the extracts are used for men’s urinary tract health and prostate function normalization. 

Accoring to Innova Market Insights data, saw palmetto is overall mainly being seen as part of prostate formulas, for male performance and sometimes overall libido. The two largest positionings for saw palmetto featured in supplements are Men Specialty (37.2 percent of global launches in 2019) and Botanical/Herbal (31.8 percent). 

Further boosting prostate health benefits, the company also launched microencapsulated USPlus saw palmetto lipid extract last year to help manufacturers deliver the testosterone health benefits of saw palmetto extract in wider applications. 

Edited by Anni Schleicher