Wacker showcased its nature-identical hydroxytyrosol and cyclodextrin-curcumin formulation at At SupplySide West 2014, in Las Vegas, US, this month.
The company says its hydroxytyrosol is a highly effective antioxidant that is claimed to have therapeutic effects on, for example, blood pressure, joints and the immune and cardiovascular systems.
Acting as a free-radical scavenger, hydroxytyrosol can also reduce skin aging and dark pigmentation.
Using Wacker’s new patented process, manufacturers can synthesize a nature-identical substance of much greater purity, free of unwanted byproducts, and with a defined amount of active ingredient.
Its HTEssence is easy to process in dietary supplements, functional beverages and cosmetics.
At the same time, the company presented a highly bioavailable cyclodextrin-curcumin formulation, which demonstrably increases curcumin’s bioavailability by a factor of 47 compared with conventional curcumin extract.
Curcumin, the active compound in turmeric, is a powerful antioxidant that has been shown to exhibit anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and hypoallergenic properties.
As the spice is extremely hydrophobic, however, it is not readily absorbed in the human bloodstream.
Using cyclodextrins, these cyclic starch molecules are hydrophilic on the outside with a hydrophobic cavity on the inside, which allows them to accommodate other hydrophobic substances.
Fat-soluble curcumin slips inside the cyclodextrin.
In an aqueous medium, the formulation forms a molecular dispersion that is much more readily absorbed by the body.
In a clinical trial, researchers compared the relative absorption of CAVAMAX W8 Curcumin with pure curcumin extract (95%) and two commercially available curcumin preparations designed to increase bioavailability.
The cyclodextrin-curcumin formulation was absorbed up to 47 times more efficiently than the standard extract, and at least 4.5 times better than the next best comparable commercial product.
The use of cyclodextrins demonstrably improves the bioavailability of hydrophobic ingredients such as curcumin.
As free-flowing powders, cyclodextrin-based formulations are suitable not only for dry or powdered food supplements, such as tablets, capsules and energy bars, but also for functional beverages.
