The Irvine, California-based company specialises in the creation and supply of botanical reference standards. While it already has anthocyanins, leucoanthocyanins and anthocyanidins in its profile, these are combinations of compounds extracted from fruit.
Co-founder and CEO Franck Jaksch told NutraIngredients-USA.com that the company wanted to isolate specific compounds within these classes. While it is possible to do this from the fruit, it is not economical to do so on a commercial scale.
The resulting ingredient would cost into the tens of thousands of dollars per kilo, he said - making it "insanely expensive to the point where it would be insanely expensive to use".
However after a five to six year search, it identified a patented technology developed by the University of Buffalo which would allow for the production of these isolated compounds using fermentation.
"We can produce the compounds as a class - then the specifics within the class," said Jaksch.
ChromaDex believes the license agreement it has signed with The Research Foundation of the State University of New York, on behalf of the University at Buffalo (SUNY Buffalo), will open the way towards a new class of anti-oxidant compounds for the food, beverage and dietary supplement markets.
Technology and research
Jaksch explained that the patented technology involved fermentation through cell culture or recombinant organisms, similar to the CoQ10 production method.
The specific compounds could prove useful in the dietary supplement and nutrition sector, where there is already considerable interest in antioxidants for a variety of health uses.
The technology enables the compounds to be studied in greater detail, and Dr Mattheos Koffas, assistant professor of chemical engineering at SUNY Buffalo said there could be particular potential in addressing metabolic syndrome - that is, the chronic pathological conditions stemming from obesity.
However Jaksch stressed that before ChromaDex targets
"We would not just rely on anecdotal evidence, but make the appropriate investments to substantiate it".
Another big area of potential is pigments. This is because a slight variance in the pH for each of the individual compounds can yield a different color.
"You name it - from white to deep purple, and everything in between," said Jaksch. The food and beverage sector is displaying huge interest at present in natural colors. This use of the technology could help solve sourcing issues faced by natural ingredients firms if, for instance, the plant from which a color is derived is affected by poor harvests or inclement weather.
Jaksch added that the main basis for the company's interest was to find a "green and sustainable source, and to get away from supply issues".
However as to whether the compounds can be considered natural if not actually fruit derived, he said: "The definition of natural can be tough. The compounds we will manufacture are the same compounds in the natural sources. There is no difference between these compounds structurally."
Other markets included in the licensing deal with SUNY Buffalo include the natural chemical, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.
Time to market
Based on where we have the technology now, it will not be that long before the fermentation-made material is available for the market - a year would be a good estimate.
But while ChromaDex supplies material for research purposes, it has no ambitions to become a full-scale ingredients supplier. It is therefore seeking a manufacturing partner to handle the scale-up and plans to license to an established ingredient supplier to actually take it to market.
"We know the process is scaleable, so that metric tonnes can be made," Jaksch said, adding the manufacturer should be able to use existing equipment already in place for other fermentation processes. There would be no need to build a new facility.
As for price point, the company has an idea but at this stage did not want to give an indication as there is still some research to be done.
"We believe it will meet our objectives and the price points we are seeking," he said.