Bastyr University in the US has benefited from funds relating to the settlement of the vitamin antitrust case in October 2000.
The university, based in Kenmore, Washington, said the money was part of the $6.1 million awarded to the state as a portion of the multi-state settlement with six companies accused of price fixing, allocating markets and agreeing not to compete with each other.
The companies agreed to settle the allegations with monetary payments to purchasers of affected products in each of the settling states, but because of the difficulty in determining what individuals should receive the damages, the settlement specified that the funds would be distributed to non profit organisations or political entities for the benefit of human health or nutrition, and/or nutritional or dietary agricultural science.
Disbursal in Washington was handled through the state's Attorney General, who put out a request for applications on projects that fulfilled the requirements.
A grant of $91,000 (€96,000) money will be used by the university to fund a year-long research project on the safety and viability of Lactobacillus dietary supplements in the state.
The work will sample Lactobacillus supplements found on shelves throughout the state, the university said in a statement. The supplement is often purchased over the counter or prescribed by physicians to restore the normal flora in the body that are necessary to maintain good health. Bastyr scientists will examine not only whether the organisms listed on the label are actually present and viable in the supplement, but whether there are any harmful bacteria as well.
Currently there is no regulation of the herbal and dietary supplement industry and as the use of supplements has increased dramatically, so has concern over their quality, the university added.
Gowsala Sivam, a research investigator and faculty member at Bastyr, has also received an award of approximately $128,000 from the settlement. Sivam's research project will examine supplements distributed by the Bastyr Center for Natural Health, the teaching clinic of Bastyr University, to see if they contain electro-chemicals.
Sivam's team will use both a HPLC (High Pressure Liquid Chromatograph), a popular analytical tool, and a highly sophisticated detection system known as a coulometric array detector to look for the electro-chemicals.
"We do as much research as possible before we offer a product, but to be able to conduct this sophisticated scientific evaluation is a major step forward in assuring the highest quality to the consumer," said Sivam, an organic chemist with extensive experience in natural products, chemistry and cancer research.