Økolyst spotlights Nordic bone broth and health shots leveraging hyaluronic acid and collagen

25 Nov 2022 --- At the Free From Functional Foods Expo in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, earlier this week, Danish-based Økolyst showcased its biodynamic products, including its bone broth, an entirely Scandinavian product using agriculture from Danish and Swedish farms. The health shots are made from ginger and turmeric from Peru and later locally produced in Denmark.

“We pressure cook the bone broth and add some vegetables, herbs and the bones. We cook it and get collagen and the hyaluronic acid,” Frederik Schröder, director of administration at Økolyst, tells NutritionInsight.

“We test for heavy metals, so we know the purity, and we also test the hyaluronic acid, a very functional component together with collagen,” Thomas Håkansson, co-founder and quality responsible at Økolyst, tells us.

He explains that hyaluronic acid and collagen bind together in the skin, the joints and the eyes, creating smoothness. 

“When you feel that tears in your eyes are smooth, it’s hyaluronic acid. Also, the joint fluid, and to avoid the joints from cracking, you need hyaluronic acid there, so it’s a functional product.” 

Nothing goes to waste
When the bone broth liquid is finished, it is sprayed onto a collagen powder, Håkansson details. 

From the left: Frederik Schröder, co-founder and director of administration and Thomas Håkansson, co-founder and quality responsible, Økolyst.The water is removed from a neutrally cooked bone broth, and the neutral flavor allows it to be used for cooking and baking or in smoothies. Additionally, nothing goes to waste throughout the process as the calcium and bone matrix are made into powder.

“We actually use everything because when we have cooked the bones and used the liquid part of it, we dry the calcium matrix that is left [the bones] and make it into a powder. Normally when you get calcium from the pharmacy, it’s calcium carbonate or calcium citrate, and it’s not very bioavailable. Here, the calcium is already bound to phosphorus, and you need phosphorus to get the calcium into the bones,” Håkansson details. 

Additionally, it has trace minerals such as zinc and magnesium, making it a full-spectrum bone-supporting supplement.

“We have a version cooked without nightshade vegetables such as tomatoes, potatoes, different peppers and stuff like that. Different people with inflammatory issues react to nightshade vegetables and get inflammation in the body,” he says. 

It’s free from gluten and lactose, as it contains no dairy or wheat. It is also free from preservatives and additives.

Volcanic soil
The ginger and turmeric shots are also free from gluten and vegan certified.The soil in Peru is volcanic and full of trace minerals, making the ginger very spicy.

“The shots we have are biodynamic, so we get them from a farm in Peru where we have ten farms growing the ginger and turmeric we use. Biodynamic is a step above organic, as rather than using some pesticides and antibiotics, in biodynamic production, you are not allowed to use any of this sort.”

He continues to explain that in biodynamic production, it’s crucial to pay attention to soil health and emphasize feeding it with good nutrients. The soil in Peru is volcanic and full of trace minerals, making the ginger very spicy.

Håkansson details that he had joint problems from a young age. He changed his diet six years ago and searched for a ginger or turmeric shot without added sugar, as sugar is pro-inflammatory in the body, which led him and Fredrik to formulate the health shots. 

He says that he had inflammation in his joints for many years, and his bones and joints were broken down, leading to the incentive to create the bone broth.

By Beatrice Wihlander & Benjamin Ferrer, reporting from Free From Functional Foods Expo in Amsterdam, the Netherlands