From probiotics to vitamin C and omegas, several companies made strides in meeting demand for ingredients that are distinguished by certifications, conducive to cleaner labels, widely available, amenable to health claims, and offered in various delivery formats for innovative applications.

Orgenetics Inc. announced Orgen-C®, which is 100 percent USDA Certified Organic and all-natural vitamin C from organic amla fruit extract, is now self-affirmed GRAS (generally recognized as safe).

Orgen-C is standardized to 50 percent natural vitamin C, with the remaining 50 percent being the same amla fruit extract that contains important co-factors and co-nutrients such as non-citrus bioflavonoids and polyphenols.

Introduced in 2007 as the first in the line of Orgen® brand ingredients, Orgen-C is the only 100 percent USDA Organic vitamin C, completely water extracted from organic amla fruit with no synthetic solvents, excipients, carriers or any filler material.

The GRAS self-affirmation status may open Orgen-C to new food and beverage industries.

Ahiflower® oil from Natures Crops International (NCI) has been certified under the NSF Non-GMO (genetically modified organism) True North protocol. NCI has also been certified as a Non-GMO “Handler (Processor True North)"under NSF Protocol 454. The NSF Non-GMO True North certification means that Ahiflower oil complies with all elements of NSF’s Non-GMO True North verification process, which according to the NSF website, “incorporates elements from the EU and Vermont GMO labeling requirements and pulls best practice from commonly used leading food safety standards." Ahiflower oil is the first omega dietary oil to be verified by NSF International.

Greg Cumberford, VP strategic initiatives with NCI stated, “Since Ahiflower oil is already in commerce in the USA and EU in food and dietary supplements, it is important that Ahiflower oil comply with a globally meaningful third-party non-GMO verification standard. NSF True North certification achieves this goal and provides assurance to Ahiflower’s licensed brand partners on this point."

Ahiflower oil is unique among plant-based omega-3-6-9 dietary oils, because it combines the highest available omega-3 stearidonic acid (SDA) with beneficial levels of gamma linolenic acid (GLA) in a clean-tasting, sustainable and fully traceable package. Ahiflower oil is now available from nine retail brands in the United States and EU. Dosing forms range from vegan softgels to liquid oil to chocolate truffles.

AIDP announced it has signed a sales and marketing agreement with biopharmaceutical products manufacturer Plandaí Biotechnology Inc., a publicly traded Nevada corporation, to market and distribute Phytofare ® Catechin Complex to the functional foods and nutraceutical industries. Plandaí Biotechnology’s Catechin Complex is a green tea-derived extract containing all eight major catechins, and is backed by the highest level of clinical studies to substantiate its enhanced bioavailability.

"With Phytofare, we are really enhancing to our full range of solutions for functional food and beverage producers," said Alan Rillorta, director of protein and branded ingredients at AIDP. “Plandaí’s proprietary technology provides scientific proof that the form of green tea really does matter, with Phytofare providing significant advantages over generic and other green tea products currently available on the market."

Of the partnership with AIDP, Callum Cottrell-Duffield, vice president of sales and marketing for Plandaí Biotechnology, commented, “Phytofare, and its encapsulated sister product, ph2 TM, fit nicely with their product range and existing customer base. This relationship, which covers the globe, except Europe and Africa where we are already strongly represented, gives us immediate worldwide exposure and distribution."

Lallemand Health Solutions announced its unique probiotic formula Probio’Stick® (association of Lactobacillus helveticus Rosell®-52 and Bifidobacterium longum Rosell®-175 in a stick format) has been recognized by the Canadian health authorities for its benefits on stress, anxiety and mood balance, becoming the first and only probiotic in Canada with approved health claims in the gut-brain axis area.

The Natural and Non-prescription Health Products Directorate (NNHPD), the regulatory agency for natural health products in Canada, has approved the following new claims for Probio’Stick (Claim NPN 80021343):

• Helps to moderate general feelings of anxiety

• Promotes a healthy mood balance

• Helps to reduce stress-related gastrointestinal complications such as abdominal pain

• Helps to reduce gastrointestinal complications like abdominal pain and nausea in healthy people experiencing mild to moderate stress

• Helps to reduce gastrointestinal discomfort (e.g., abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting) in those experiencing mild to moderate stress resulting from life events (e.g., academic exams).

These specific claims come in addition to the previously approved claim “Helps to reduce stress-related gastrointestinal complications like nausea," and generic probiotic claims (“Probiotic that contributes to a natural healthy gut flora" and “Probiotic to benefit health and/or to confer a health benefit.")

Solange Henoud, regulatory affairs manager Americas for Lallemand Health Solutions, commented: “This recognition is based on a strong clinical and pre-clinical dossier examining the interactions of our probiotic with the brain-gut axis, or second brain, an area of growing interest for the scientific community and consumers alike and for which we have been dedicated research efforts for nearly a decade."

PLT Health Solutions Inc. announced the introduction of a water-soluble version of the company’s best-selling 5-LOXIN® for joint health support. Called AquaLOX, the new ingredient is a potent Boswellia serrata extract documented to have a similar pharmacokinetic profile to 5-LOXIN—which has been clinically demonstrated to improve joint comfort and protect against cartilage degradation. In addition to being water-soluble, AquaLOX represents a major breakthrough with its pleasant taste profile, allowing—for the first time—the use of Boswellia serrata extract for taste-sensitive formulations such as chews, gummies, stick-packs, shots and more. The technology to manufacture this pleasant-tasting, water-soluble version of Boswellia serrata has been more than five years in development.

According to Seth Flowerman, executive vice president at PLT Health Solutions, 5-LOXIN is already available in more than 100 consumer products. However, “In a market that demands convenience and novel delivery systems, all Boswellia extracts were limited because of the challenging taste profile and lack of solubility—and the technology needed to achieve this was tricky. With AquaLOX, we are finally able to deliver on our customers’ wish list and extend the 5-LOXIN franchise to a whole new range of products," he said.