Weekly Roundup: Lallemand launches Cerebiome, US elderberry demand rises

19 Jun 2020 --- This week in nutrition news, Lallemand Health Solutions relaunched its psychobiotic formulation under the name Cerebiome. Finnish organic extracts producer Eevia Health Oy is increasing its elderberry extract production to keep up with demand hailing from the US. In research developments, BGG World’s apple extract ApplePhenon was found to improve skin health and annatto tocotrienol supplementation resulted in gut microbiome profile alteration. While Marinova is set to investigate the effect of fucoidan on prostate cancer, Takeda Pharmaceutical and Debiopharm partnered to develop microbiome therapeutics to treat gastrointestinal (GI) disorders.

In brief: Business news
Lallemand Health Solutions launches the brand Cerebiome, previously known as Probio’Stick, a new name for an existing formula combining Lactobacillus helveticus Rosell-52 and Bifidobacterium longum Rosell-175. “Cerebiome is a unique and strongly documented psychobiotic formulation developed by the Rosell Institute for Microbiome and Probiotics by Lallemand. Cerebiome helps alleviate the physical and psychological symptoms of stress and feelings of anxiety. Such consistency of results is rare in this innovative field,” notes Lucie Lingrand, Product Manager at Lallemand.

Eevia Health Oy, a Finnish producer of organic-certified plant extracts, has received significant orders from the US for elderberry extract, a popular immune-stimulant among other indications. In response, the company is preparing to increase its elderberry extract production. The overall order-volume for elderberries is currently over €2 million (US$2.2 million). The challenge currently being addressed is acquiring enough raw materials to serve all orders, and Eevia Health Oy maintains that it is “working hard to ensure the current demand can be met.”

Open Book Extracts gains access to its new acquisitions' global position in the manufacturing of high-purity rare and minor cannabinoids.Open Book Extracts, a high-quality cannabinoid products processor, acquired Chilmark Labs and its Israeli affiliate, Beetlebung Pharma. The move gives Open Book Extracts access to the latter’s global position in the manufacturing of high-purity rare and minor cannabinoids. Together, the merged companies will bring to market commercial-scale production of precise, consistently formulated custom cannabinoid blends and spearhead R&D into the efficacy of custom formulations to deliver targeted therapeutic outcomes.

In brief: Research and study
A cohort study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that greater adherence to various healthy eating patterns was consistently associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The final study sample included 74,930 women in the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) (1984-2016), 90,864 women in the NHS II (1991-2017) and 43,339 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. During the follow-up years, 23,366 incident CVD cases were documented. These findings support the recommendations of the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans that multiple healthy eating patterns can be adapted to individual food traditions and preferences. 

BGG World strengthened its ApplePhenon’s position in the beauty-from-within market in a new randomized clinical trial published in the journal Nutrients. The research team had 65 study participants aged 20 to 39 years old randomly receive tablets containing ApplePhenon (300 or 600 mg per day) or placebo. Continuous administration of ApplePhenon for 12 weeks significantly prevented UV irradiation-induced skin pigmentation, although a dose-dependent relationship was not clearly observed, the study states. BGG World affirms that these results indicate an internal sunscreen effect and antioxidant protection by ApplePhenon in the skin of healthy women.

A recent study published in Nutrition Research demonstrated that supplementation with DeltaGold annatto tocotrienol produced by American River Nutrition, combined with a high-fat diet, alters the gut microbiome profile. Subsequently, it was also found to improve parameters associated with metabolic disorders. More specifically, at a phylum level, annatto tocotrienol-supplemented mice showed a decrease in the Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio. The researchers note that this is a significant finding, considering an increase in this particular ratio was shown to be associated with obesity and Type 2 diabetes mellitus. The authors of the study, conducted at Texas Tech University, noted that their “findings provide valuable information that annatto tocotrienol supplementation could be used for the prevention of the development of T2DM.”

In brief: Research programs
Marinova launched a comprehensive research program investigating the effect of fucoidan on prostate cancer. The research, to be undertaken in collaboration with Griffith University in Australia, will examine the potential for fucoidan to play a role in prostate cancer prevention, diagnosis and control. Existing pre-clinical evidence indicates the potential for fucoidan to provide benefits to prostate cancer patients. The company asserts that in vitro and animal studies have already established cancer cell inhibition and reductions in tumor growth. Moreover, human clinical studies have demonstrated fucoidan can ameliorate the side effects of cancer treatments. 

Debiopharm and Takeda partnered to develop novel microbiome therapeutics.Swiss biopharmaceutical company Debiopharm affirmed an exclusive license agreement and research collaboration with Takeda Pharmaceutical to develop novel microbiome therapeutics for the treatment of GI disorders. Under the agreement, Takeda will screen and optimize compounds derived from Debiopharm’s discovery Debio 1454M program to identify candidates for further development for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and other GI disorders. Drug candidates will be evaluated for their effectiveness against specific disease-causing microorganisms while preserving the natural balance of the microbiota.

Malted barley extract and natural sweeteners manufacturer Malt Products Corporation designed an innovations lab to help the F&B industry customers test ingredients, experiment with new formulations and gain insight into critical flavor and stability properties. Located in Minneapolis, US, the lab will be utilized for a wide variety of products, including baked goods, malt and oat-based beverages, creamers, nut butters, chocolates, confections, dressings and marinades, and yogurts. The lab will also assist the company in its ascent into the burgeoning plant-based proteins sector. The lab’s establishment aims to address rising consumer demand for natural ingredients innovation.

The Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment (VKM) is setting a caffeine-exposure risk assessment in motion. The aim is for businesses and other interested public and private parties, including authorities, organizations, universities, research and other institutions and companies, to submit information about caffeine concentrations in cosmetics and personal care products. This information will be used for estimating caffeine exposure found also in food and dietary supplements. The deadline for the submission of data for caffeine concentrations found in cosmetics and personal care products is August 31. 

In brief: Labels and accreditations
Alkemist Labs achieved accreditation to the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025:2017 from the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA). The accreditation process involved a thorough assessment and review of the lab’s quality management system and competence to perform Dietary Supplement Identification and Qualitative Analysis HPTLC testing and Botanical Identification and Qualitative Analysis by Microscopy. Also included in the accreditation scope are Alkemist’s internally developed cannabinoids and terpenes assays. Elan Sudberg, CEO of Alkemist Labs, says that this CBD method and the new terpenes method included in this most recent accreditation “further solidifies our standing as a hemp testing authority.” The Alkemist Labs Accreditation has been renewed until February 28, 2022.

By Anni Schleicher