Tiny Elvis, Meet Tiny Antioxidant

If you've never sent he Tiny Elvis skits on Saturday Night Live, Nicolas Cage played a 4-inch (?) tall Elvis who would comment about how big stuff was—"Look at that salt shaker, man. That's huge. I'll never be able to use all that salt, man." Well, Tiny Elvis need not fear supplements too big in size, and nor should anyone for that matter, because nanotechnology is bringing supplement delivery down to size.

Already in use for some ingredients, the technology behind nano-delivery is emerging and in its infancy. There are concerns over how such tiny particles (nanometer-sized) would affect barrier membranes (blood brain barrier, for one) and even the environment, should nano-particles from skin care and other products find their way to waterways and such.

Still, the risk of problems seems low enough to proceed, and research and development on nanotechnology in nutritional supplements is underway.

For a look at how nanotechnology could impact the natural products industry, including supplements and functional foods, check out Insider mag's latest online column from the Burdock Group.

George Burdock, one of the authors of the column and a speaker at the recent FDLI 1st Annual Conference on Nanotechnology (held in Washington earlier this year) will also speak at the upcoming Supplyside West trade show as part of the cosmeceutical education track.

Research on nanotechnology and nutritional ingredient delivery is boosting the development of new products based on the emerging technology. Most recently, two researchers at Australia's Monash University School of Pharmacy and Sciences developed a nanotechnology particle—sized about 1000th of a human hair—that can protect antioxidant ingredients from the harsh environment of the gut, thereby improving absorption in the digestive tract. Doctors Ken Ng and Ian Larson called this new particle a Trojan Horse that protects antioxidants in the gut then becomes stick in the small intestine, sticking to the intestinal wall for better absorption.

This Trojan Horse is a tiny sponge-like biopolymeric nanoparticle made from chitosan, a natural component of a structural element found in crustaceans, in this case crab. The researchers cautioned that this particle is still under development, which they hopes someday results in a way to deliver supplement ingredients in functional foods, like omega-3s in milk or bread. They stressed, however, that antioxidants, especially catechins, are a major focus of their ongoing research, as only about 1 percent or less of catechins ingested makes it to the bloodstream.

Nanoetchnology...that's huge, man.