Weekly Roundup: EnWave and Dole partner up to develop nutrition solutions, Kirin invests in brain stimulator tech

27 Aug 2021 --- This week in nutrition news, EnWave Corporation and Dole Worldwide Food & Beverages Group, a division of Dole Asia Holdings, revealed a strategic partnership to develop nutrition solutions using fruits and vegetables. Meanwhile, Kirin invested in Flow Neuroscience, a Swedish start-up that offers a wearable brain stimulator to help mental health. Also, Nutritional Roots’ new Probiotics+ was selected as a 2021 Nexty award finalist in the “Product Supporting a Healthy Microbiome” category.

In brief: Business News
EnWave and Dole joined a partnership to develop solutions for nutrition by developing fruit and vegetable snack and ingredient innovations. EnWave and Dole had been collaborating since late 2020. EnWave’s Radiant Energy Vacuum technology provides a gentle, rapid drying solution that allows for the production of nutritious and convenient food applications. Dole placed an order to purchase EnWave’s patented equipment to accelerate internal product development and allow for focused market trials in select regions. The partnership with Dole will leverage its brand alongside EnWave’s patented dehydration technology to bring better-for-you snacking options to its global customer base.

Kirin invested in Flow Neuroscience, a company that makes physical and behavioral at-home treatment for people with depression. The technology comprises a tDC brain stimulation headset and therapy app, together called “Flow.” In recent years, electrical brain stimulation methods that require less effort and have fewer side effects than drug treatments have come to the fore. Flow Neuroscience’s brain stimulation tool does not require hospital visits, allowing for lower-effort treatment. The headset device uses tDC (transcranial Direct Current), which is a form of brain stimulation that implements a gentle electric current (0.5-2 mA) to target a brain area called the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Lowered activity in this brain area is associated with depressive symptoms such as fatigue, sleeping problems, concentration difficulties and changes in appetite. Through this investment, the Kirin Group and Flow Neuroscience hope to generate synergies to contribute to the prevention of mental health issues.Nutritional Roots’ new Probiotics+ was selected as an award finalist in the “Product Supporting a Healthy Microbiome” Nexty category.

In brief: Launches and releases
Perfect introduced a line of terpene-rich, live resin-infused flower-based cannabis products. Formulating their blends is a technique that Perfect uses to control, develop and enhance the flavor and mood-enhancing effects of THC. Perfect aims to enhance creative consumers’ daily routines by creating a cannabis experience for those seeking dependable daily consistency. The product range offers a small dose of infused cannabis flower and helps consumers feel alert, inspired or relaxed. The company’s range of products includes terpene-rich pre-rolls, live-resin blended loose flowers.

In brief: Announcements and certifications
Rritual Superfoods announced the company’s brand of functional superfoods is experiencing strong growth at CVS Stores, a healthcare company throughout the US, as indicated by a third consecutive month of re-orders following the brand’s launch earlier this year. Rritual Superfoods at CVS HealthHUB included Chaga Immune with adaptogens eleuthero root and astragalus to support healthy immune function and well-being. Lion’s Mane Focus with adaptogens Rhodiola rosea root and bacopa are included in the range to support brain health and cognitive function. Another product, Reishi Relax, contains ashwagandha and cacao to help the body adapt to stress. Rritual product offerings are USDA-certified organic and are a caffeine-free option that can be mixed with other beverages. Rritual’s proprietary Immune-Synergy Six Mushroom Blend is a functional health product that contains a daily prebiotic blend that nourishes a healthy gut microbiome and facilitates balanced digestive function.

Nutritional Roots’ new Probiotics+ was selected as the 2021 Nexty award finalist. Nutritional Roots invested two years designing and developing this product. This first-of-its-kind synbiotic dietary supplement was selected from more than 700 category nominations. The Probiotics+ was a finalist in the Product Supporting a Healthy Microbiome category. In 2013, a national survey found 74 percent of US consumers live with at least one digestive issue. Nutritional Roots’ probiotic has a delayed-release capsule to deliver probiotics to the large intestine.

Last week, a US Senate Committee urged the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to develop a regulatory pathway for selling hemp-based cannabidiol (CBD) products. The Senate Appropriations Committee legislation, which funds the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), FDA and other agencies, also continued a rider that protects state hemp programs from federal interference and pushes the FDA to continue developing regulations to allow CBD products and issue a policy of enforcement discretion for such products. The legislation would benefit hemp farmers and CBD producers who are struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic-stricken economy.A study presented by the European Society of Cardiology found that drinking sufficient water could prevent heart failure.

In brief: Research and studies
A study conducted by Duke University Medical Center found that chronically high cholesterol levels are associated with increased risks of breast cancer and worse outcomes in most cancers. Still, the link has not been fully understood. The researchers described how breast cancer cells use cholesterol to develop tolerance to stress, making them impervious to death as they migrate from the original tumor site. The researchers used cancer cell lines and mouse models and found that migrating cancer cells gobble cholesterol in response to stress, and most die. The cancer cells that survive emerge with strength that makes them able to withstand ferroptosis, a natural process in which cells succumb to stress. These stress-impervious cancer cells then proliferate and readily metastasize. The strategy appears to be used not only by ER-negative breast cancer cells but other types of tumors, including melanoma.

Researchers in the Prenatal Alcohol in SIDS and Stillbirth (PASS) Network found that drinking alcohol and smoking tobacco cigarettes throughout the first trimester of pregnancy is associated with nearly three times the risk of late stillbirth (at 28 or more weeks), compared to women who neither drink or smoke during pregnancy or quit both before the end of the first trimester. The study followed nearly 12,000 pregnancies among more than 8,500 women in South Africa and the US Northern Plains. Compared to the pregnancies of women who did not drink or smoke or who quit both before the second trimester, women who drank and smoked through the first trimester and beyond had 2.78 times the risk for late stillbirth. Previously, the PASS Network found that the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) was 12 times higher in pregnancies exposed to maternal drinking and smoking past the first trimester. The National Institutes of Health-funded the study.

Research presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) 2021 Congress found that drinking sufficient water could prevent heart failure. Recommendations on daily fluid intake vary from 1.6 to 2.1 L for women and 2 to 3 L for men. However, worldwide surveys have shown that many people do not meet even the lower ends of these ranges.

Serum sodium is a precise measure of hydration status: when people drink less fluid, the concentration of serum sodium increases. The body then attempts to conserve water, activating processes known to contribute to the development of heart failure. The research was performed on 15,792 adults in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study. At recruitment, participants were 44 to 66 years old and were evaluated over five visits until age 70 to 90. In midlife, higher serum sodium concentration was associated with both heart failure and left ventricular hypertrophy 25 years later. Serum sodium remained significantly associated with heart failure and left ventricular hypertrophy after adjusting for other factors related to the development of heart failure: age, blood pressure, kidney function, blood cholesterol, blood glucose, body mass index, sex and smoking status.

By Nicole Kerr

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