Bioavailability: Increased consumer demand and labeling accuracy dominate industry

10 Nov 2021 --- As the demand for ingredients with high bioavailability continues to grow, there is an increased demand for natural and food-grade technologies that can provide significantly high bioactive “free” nutrients upon oral intake. NutritionInsight speaks to a roundtable of experts who discuss ingredient sourcing, the challenges faced during formulation and labeling issues.

Dr. IM Krishnakumar, chief research officer at Akay, states that it is “important to distinguish between ‘absorption’ and ‘bioavailability’ since these terms are often used interchangeably in nutraceuticals.” This often leads to confusion among consumers and manufacturers.

Absorption is the process of the movement of a substance or drug from the site of administration to the systemic circulation, he underscores.

“In the case of oral delivery, it is the movement from the gastrointestinal tract, mostly from the intestine. Therefore, although the absorption of a molecule is good, its bioavailability may not be good,” highlights Krishnakumar.

He points to resveratrol as an example of a nutrient that has been shown to offer better absorption, but poor oral bioavailability (<1%), since it is rapidly metabolized to glucuronides and sulfates.

Sourcing ingredients with good bioavailability
Vaneeghen is one player that develops its research on the most effective forms of vitamins based on published European Food Safety Authority opinions, clinical studies and stability data.

“This helps Vaneeghen’s partners in choosing the ‘best’ ingredient for their formulations depending on their business needs,” explains Snezhana Kirina, marketing executive at Vaneeghen.

“We have developed, patented and successfully applied a 100% natural, food-grade and clean label platform delivery technology called Fenumat to a variety of phytonutrients and micronutrients of both lipophilic and hydrophilic nature,” adds Krishnakumar.

He notes that the technology is based on fenugreek galactomannan biopolymer – soluble dietary fiber – without synthetic emulsifiers.Supplements that consist of good bioavailable ingredients are “better” as these increase the body’s chance to absorb what is needed to stay healthy.

“The first formulation using this technology was on curcumin (CurQfen), which is a lipophilic molecule with poor solubility, in vivo stability and poor absorption,” continues Krishnakumar. “CurQfen has established its free curcumin bioavailability, 45-fold, as per the strict definition of bioavailability.”

He states that the technology has also been applied to various molecules like boswellic acids, resveratrol, quercetin, fisetin and vitamin C.

“Fenumat technology is also applicable to co-delivery formulations, where one or more phytonutrients can be put together to formulate as single powder or granules suitable for various delivery formats, including sachets and gummies,” notes Krishnakumar.

Kirina also details the types of products with good bioavailability, “products which have a scientifically proven better bioavailability are Bisglycinate chelated minerals from Albion.”

“This range of minerals has been clinically proven to have higher bioavailability than many alternative minerals that are often used. The combination of a more natural absorption (mimicking the process of nature), better tolerably and the market highly appreciates good bioavailability,” explains Kirina.

Better bioavailability means smaller effective doses
More bioavailable ingredients in a formulation mean that fewer materials are required to be effective, making it possible for formulators to have small effective doses or leave room for other ingredients to be incorporated, says Kirina.

“A second benefit can be that more bioavailable can be more stable in formulations,” she adds. “For example, the Albion Bisglycinate chelated minerals are protected by two glycine molecules, which results in a more neutral and stable molecule that is less likely to react with other ingredients in the formulation.”

For this reason, Iron Bisglycinate chelate (ferrochel) is becoming the preferred choice of iron in infant nutrition, Kirina continues.

“Especially iron, which is essential, has a small range between the lower limit and upper limit as it’s also very reactive. With ferronickel in formulations, there are fewer reactions with other ingredients, but also it is safer to use in the final product for infants.”

The formulation for bioavailability is always a challenge. Bioenhancers are a popular way to achieve bioavailability and are widely used, explains Dr. Benny Antony, joint managing director at Arjuna.Iron Bisglycinate chelate is becoming the preferred choice of iron in infant nutrition.

“This approach is not without pitfalls as it introduces new compounds and processes to the equation,” continues Antony. “The bioenhancers have to be specific, which is not always the case. Non-specific bioenhancers can interfere with drug delivery, complicating the health of the individual in unpredictable ways.”

The issues faced with using piperine or synthetic additives to curcumin to enhance bioavailability and the consequent problems faced by those on medication are well documented, he adds.

Maintaining labeling accuracy and authorization
Labeling inaccuracy occurs when the claim “more bioavailable’” or similar is not explicitly regulated and falls under the so-called A-B comparison. This comparison is when claims are made based on comparisons with other ingredients, explains Kirina.

“When a local authority checks this, companies should be able to hand over the proof – scientific evidence – that the ingredient used also has a better bioavailability,” he continues.

Labeling accuracy has been a grey area that has plagued the industry, states Antony.

“In an industry where a large part of the regulation is expected to be ‘self-regulation,’ good ethics, transparency and truthfulness are critical.”

The majority of the bioavailable forms in the marketplace claim bioavailability by measuring the metabolites in plasma, which is against the definition of “bioavailability” and hence may cause regulatory issues and wrong claim substantiation, Krishnakumar further explains.

“At present, labeling claims on bioavailability is mainly based on published pharmacokinetic studies.”As more consumers become aware of their nutritional needs, the demand for products with a high bioavailability rises.

“However, it would be more quality-oriented and regulation friendly if pharmacokinetic studies were conducted as per the definition of “bioavailability” by quantifying the free (unchanged) molecules in plasma, and published in good academic journals with minimum IF of 2.0 – as per Thomas Reuters system,” adds Krishnakumar.

More consumers seek bioavailability
Looking to the future, more consumers will demand products with a high bioavailability as they are becoming more informed about their nutritional needs. Evidently, there will be more opportunities to elevate on-pack branding with this positioning.

“Brands may continue educating the consumers on the importance of bioavailability via package labeling as we see many great examples described as ‘immediately available’ or ‘better absorbed’,” adds Kirina.

Echoing this, Innova Market Insights reveals that industry has responded to consumer demand for convenient supplement consumption that offers all benefits in one dose.

Globally, the top subcategories for bioavailability claims within supplements are vitamins/minerals and botanical/herbal supplements (January to August 2021).

“Consumers are continuing to demand better bioavailable ingredients. Overall, consumers are getting more educated on ingredients and which forms are better for them,” states Kirina. “This consumer need is translated into new formulations from brands that try to differentiate with more effective ingredients.”

“This would give the formulators more space in the capsule, caplet, tablet, food and beverage segments to add other complementary ingredients. The high potency also translates into higher efficiency and many times into lower cost per effect,” concludes Antony.

By Nicole Kerr