Weekly Roundup: Evolva publishes second RESHAW results, Morinaga Milk’s probiotic receives GRAS status for infant formula

10 Jul 2020 --- This week in nutrition news, Evolva released its second study testing Veri-te resveratrol on postmenopausal women to support healthy aging. Enovate Biolife also published a new study with the finding that its EnXtra product safely demonstrated psychostimulant efficacy. In business developments, ABITEC acquired Larodan AB to expand its lipid product offerings and Vanguard Scientific Systems entered a distribution partnership with REM Technologies for THC extraction systems. Valensa gained a new US patent for two of its joint health ingredients, while the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Morinaga Milk Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) status for its infant formula probiotic.

In brief: Launches and releases
Lallemand Health Solutions created a new website and a “brief, punchy” video to summarize and publicize scientific evidence related to its yeast Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-1079. The online media content platform spotlights the efficiency of its probiotic yeast as well as its wide range of delivery formats, such as clean label capsules and flavored orodispersible powders. Visitors can also learn more about the research Lallemand is conducting in the field of skin health and metabolism.

Following research indicating how probiotics can help support canine gut health, biotechnology company ExeGi Pharma launched a high potency veterinary probiotic called Visbiome Vet. With 112.5 billion live bacteria per dosage, the formulation in Visbiome Vet contains an eight-strain proprietary probiotic blend and can help support normal inflammatory responses in the gastrointestinal tract. Moreover, Visbiome Vet is the identical formulation to Visbiome, a human medical food, subject of over 70 clinical trials. The product is only available to veterinarians and veterinary pharmacies.

In brief: Business news
ABITEC Corporation, an ABF Ingredients company, acquired research grade lipids manufacturer and marketer Larodan AB. ABITEC views the acquisition as a way to expand its functional lipid product offerings and scientific capabilities “to better serve the pharmaceutical, nutritional and industrial market sectors.” It will also advance ABITEC into the field of lipidomics, which has the potential to offer researchers “unparalleled capabilities” to identify the numerous roles of lipids across a vast spectrum of disease states at the chemical level. Together, the companies will create a global science-based organization that will use product innovation to propel ABITEC’s scientific and commercial interests.

The THC remediation process has historically been expensive and highly inefficient.Vanguard Scientific Systems, a provider of equipment, systems and performance solutions for the botanical extraction industry, agreed to a distributor partnership with REM Technologies, a US-based company assisting hemp processors to remove THC from their extracts. Vanguard Scientific will become the preferred reseller of REM Technologies’ harmonic distillation remediation technology that can effectively remediate or remove THC from oils. The distillation systems use computer-controlled heating and flow regulation at low consumable costs. This news comes as a game-changer to the cannabis sector, where the remediation process has historically been expensive and highly inefficient.

US sports performance franchisor Athletic Republic partnered with Klean Athlete, a developer of nutritional supplements for athletes. The former company is set to make the Klean Athlete line of science-based, NSF Certified for Sport supplements available through its network of 85 franchisees and licensees worldwide. The Klean product line is available through AR’s network of sports performance training centers and will be available in-center or directly online via a QR code available in displays and other material.

In brief: Labels and accreditations
Japanese dairy company Morinaga Milk obtained GRAS status from the FDA for its proprietary probiotic Morinaga Bifidobacterium longum BB536. After receiving self-affirmed GRAS in the summer of 2019, the company submitted a notification to the FDA for use in infant formula and received a no objection letter in December 2019. For half a century, B. longum BB536 has been the superior Human Residential Bifidobacteria (HRB) probiotic strain that provides a consistent beneficial effect in maintaining human health. Morinaga B. longum BB536 is to be specifically used in infant formula.

The US Patent and Trademark Office granted Valensa International a patent for the “Composition and Method to Alleviate Joint Pain Using Low Molecular Weight Hyaluronic Acid and Astaxanthin.” The latter two are ingredients found in the company’s joint health formulas, FlexPro MD. and FlexPro ES. The patented ingredients were recently the subject of a published study in the scientific journal Nutrients, which demonstrated how joint deterioration may be overcome through a combination of low molecular weight hyaluronic acid, astaxanthin and krill oil in an animal model of osteoarthritis.

New guidelines provided updates on issues of adulteration and mislabeling of English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) essential oil paired with rich essential oils of lavandin, spike lavender, linalool and linalyl acetate, terpenes and synthetic chemicals. The bulletin aims to serve as a guide for quality control personnel, the international herbal products, cosmetics, essential oil industries and the extended natural products market. It is also intended to present a summary of the scientific data and methods on the occurrence of species substitution, adulteration, market situation, and economic and safety consequences for consumers and industry.

In brief: Research and study
The findings of Evolva’s Resveratrol Supporting Healthy Aging in Women (RESHAW) clinical study suggest that resveratrol can help improve bone formation in postmenopausal women at risk of bone loss. Study participants took two capsules of 75 mg Veri-te resveratrol, Evolva’s flagship product, or a placebo for 12 months, followed by the alternate treatment for a consecutive 12 months. The researchers discovered that supplementation with Veri-te improved bone density in the lumbar spine (the lower back) and femoral neck (the region connecting the shaft of the thigh bone to its rounded head, which fits into the hip joint) of the test subjects. The Swiss biotech company celebrates these RESHAW results as “a key strategy for the design of effective supplements that may lessen the decline in both brain and bone health as women age.”

Examples of vegetarian meals that help build muscle proteins as they consist of a complementary profile of all essential amino acids.Published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, a clinical trial studied the long-term safety and perceivable mental acuity benefits of EnXtra, produced by Enovate Biolife, in healthy individuals. The findings demonstrated the psychostimulant efficacy of EnXtra, “with no safety concerns on long-term usage,” the abstract reads. Study participants were administered EnXtra with or without caffeine for a period of 12 weeks. Post consumption, alertness and calmness scores were significantly increased in the EnXtra group, and EnXtra plus caffeine group as compared to placebo. Daytime sleep scores decreased in the EnXtra group; however, change was not significant. Sleep quality remained undisturbed in all three trial groups.

A study published in the British Medical Journal found that current dietary guidelines for management of coronary heart disease (CHD) risk in familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) are based on the diet-heart hypothesis, which is “outdated and unsupported.” Moreover, the researchers affirm there is “no evidence” to support the recommendation that FH individuals should consume a low saturated fat, low cholesterol diet. Instead, a low carbohydrate diet should significantly improve cardiovascular disease biomarkers, compared with a low-fat diet.

On a gram-for-gram basis, animal proteins are more effective than plant proteins in supporting the maintenance of skeletal muscle mass with advancing age, according to research presented this week at The Physiological Society’s virtual conference Future Physiology 2020. This research also showed that adding more soy and wheat proteins to the diet can help achieve a comparable response of building muscles to animal proteins. The researchers highlight that simply transitioning from an animal-based protein diet to a plant-based diet, without adjusting total protein intake, is likely “detrimental to muscle health during aging.” Therefore, balancing both animal and plant-based proteins consumption “is best.”

By Anni Schleicher