Scientific Panel Deems Pycnogenol GRAS
HILLSIDE, N.J.--Natural Health Science announced its French maritime pine bark extract, Pycnogenol, was self-affirmed GRAS (generally recognized as safe) and is approved for applications in functional foods and beverages. The announcement was given by George A. Burdock, Ph.D., a diplomat on the American Board of Toxicology, during a May 7 VendorWorks presentation at SupplySide East. Burdock was a member of the scientific panel of toxicology experts that approved Pycnogenol's GRAS status. He stated the research involving Pycnogenol has shown it is not mutagenic, and that in humans it is bioavailable and excretable. The panel concluded Pycnogenol is GRAS in amounts of 10 parts per million (ppm) for beverages and 20 ppm for foods. Approved applications include baked goods, breakfast cereals and bars, processed fruits and vegetables, jams and jellies, soft candy, chewing gum, margarine, sauces, fats and oils, and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.