The nutraceutical company bought Apple Peel (APTI) from the technology transfer company UTEK.
APTI holds the worldwide license to the patent-pending process to produce apple peel powder that was developed at Cornell University. The powder can be used as a nutraceutical and food and beverage ingredient to enhance the nutritional content of the original product.
"We believe the phytochemical-rich content found in apple peels is exciting," said Fred Tannous, the CEO of Health Sciences Group. "Apple peel powder presents us with an opportunity to enhance nutraceutical supplements and foods and beverages with beneficial antioxidant activity."
His company now envisages improving the nutritional content of a wide variety of products, including cereals, sauces, granola bars, energy bars, fruit shakes and other healthy beverages by adding small amounts of this natural, concentrated antioxidant.
James Heitner, a technology manager at the Cornell Center for Technology, Enterprise and Commercialization at Cornell University added: "It is estimated that in New York State alone approximately 20 million pounds of apple peel waste is generated each year. Since the concentrations of total phenolic compounds in peels have been shown to exceed those found in the flesh of the apples, there may be significant health benefits from apples that are not being realized."
Tannous told NutraIngredientsUSA.com that there were many reasons why this technology fitted so well with Health Science's strategy.
"UTEK has been showing us different technologies for 11 months and this one really appealed, particularly because of all the clinical data that lies behind it," he said.
He added that his company is also convinced of the importance and efficacy of antioxidants in attempting to combat diseases such as Alzheimer's and cancer. Moreover, Tannous believes that natural supplements are gaining more support and interest from the public and health professionals, who in some cases, he noted, are beginning to use them as a substitute to drugs.
His company was impressed with the amount of research that has already been carried out into antioxidants and is ongoing both at Cornell and other universities.
This technology also has commercial benefits, namely that it is virtually ready to go to market.
"If we create a joint venture and add the technology to another company's ingredient, the product will be ready soon. Otherwise, it should be on the market by the second quarter of next year at least either as a bulk food ingredient or a nutraceutical product," said Tannous.
Although, as Cornell's Heitner remarked, apple peel is essentially a waste product, suggesting it is low in cost, Tannous is not promising a low-price product.
The apple peel powder will be a branded product and evetually available worldwide. Indeed, if UK companies, for example, are interested, Health Sciences is open to sub-licensing agreement ideas.