“Worth its weight in gold”: Pharmactive Biotech launches Affron saffron in APAC market

18 Sep 2019 --- Natural Ingredients company Pharmactive Biotech Products is launching its Affron Spanish saffron (Crocus sativus L.) extract in the Asia-Pacific market. The product is touted as all-natural and presents the lowest dosage threshold on the market at 28mg per day. Affron also boasts research-proven, increased pharmacokinetic bioavailability and a rapid, one-hour absorption rate. While commonly used as a culinary ingredient, saffron also holds potential in the nutraceutical market for alleviating anxiety, reducing asthma symptoms and boosting relaxation and sleep quality.

Jean-Marie Raymond, CEO and Founder of Pharmactive, tells NutritionInsight that such a low dosage can be translated into a small-sized capsule, making swallowing easier for consumers. From a business perspective, the reduced capsule size guarantees maximum effect with the minimum amount, a sign of good quality.

There have been various challenges faced to ensure such a low dosage threshold, notes Raymond. One is selecting the proper variety of saffron to obtain the highest concentration of the actives. Another is guaranteeing that these truly deliver beneficial properties and are not lost or degraded during the process. The development stage with the production team poses an additional challenge, given the saffron’s unique and patented extraction process. 

Affron saffron is standardized to lepticrosalides, a complex of bioactive compounds responsible for the beneficial and organoleptic attributes of the ingredient. Five clinical studies back the capabilities of this clean-label, synthetic-free, pure plant saffron extract. Saffron also shows its positive effect on mood improvement, relaxation and sleep quality, Raymond notes. In addition, Affron is the first saffron extract clinically studied in adolescents.

Despite most commonly known as an expensive, golden-hued ingredient mostly used in cooking, saffron has been traditionally used as a treatment for depression. In addition, according to a study from Murdoch University, depressed teenagers treated with saffron extract showed improvements in symptoms.

The saffron is handpicked to avoid wilting of the delicate stigmas that form its threads.Overcoming sourcing and production hurdles
In Spain, saffron’s culinary and nutritional values have long been appreciated, notes Julia Diaz, Marketing Manager of Pharmactive. The company grows and cultivates saffron in its fields within the terrain of Castilla-La-Mancha in central-eastern Spain. The dry plains and warm Mediterranean climate of the region present ideal conditions for the cultivation of saffron. 

“We work in close cooperation with our saffron farmers, respecting the cultural heritage of this exceptional region. Their innate knowledge of saffron and how to optimize its production and harvest without using fertilizers is key to Pharmactive’s unmatched quality offering,” notes Alberto Espinel, Head of R&D of Pharmactive. “We conduct strict quality controls internally and externally through certified third parties. These meticulous measures provide full traceability and allow a wholly trusted source of saffron.”

Affron is water-soluble and readily applicable to food formats or supplements. It is kosher and halal certified, non-GMO, non-irradiated and has a three-year shelf-life. 

Pharmactive will launch Affron at Vitafoods Asia 2019 in Singapore, Booth #I32, on 25-26 September 2019.

“Extremely susceptible to counterfeiting”
Saffron requires a meticulous production process. “The golden threads of the saffron plant are worth nearly their weight in gold, due in part to their labor-intensive harvesting method. During the short eight weeks in autumn when they bloom, the flowers must be carefully handpicked, one at a time, within the few hours between dawn and midday. We do this to avoid wilting of the delicate stigmas that form the saffron threads,” explains Espinel. Because it is a high-value botanical, saffron is extremely susceptible to counterfeiting, he adds.

Raymond also acknowledges the increasing problems with adulteration in the pharma- and nutraceutical markets. “But they are not an issue for Pharmactive. We control every step of the process, from the origin to the final ingredient powder,” he states.

“We already use highly reliable techniques well-established for genetic identity determination, for the detection of the presence of unwanted bodies, and for the detection of unauthorized ingredients. Moreover, we complement them with proprietary quality control techniques,” Raymond concludes. 

By Anni Schleicher