Frutarom glucose control herb ready for US DS market
The Israeli flavors and fine ingredients giant said its purslane extract, Portusana, was backed by clinical and pilot studies as well as in vitro studies, with its regulatory, medical and scientific team preparing manuscripts for submission to peer-review journals.
The weight management, diabetes and GI (glycemic index) markets are being eyed.
Frutarom USA’s technical health specialist, Jocelyn Mathern, said the ingredient would have been launched into the diabetes/weight management US dietary supplements space sooner, but other ingredient launches saw the company delay its launch until the country’s largest ingredients expo, Supply Side West, which takes place in mid-November in Las Vegas.
“Although purslane is traditionally used as a food ingredient in soups and salads in places like Egypt, we have not applied for Generally recognized as safe (GRAS) status here in the US as it is the dietary supplements market we are interested in,” she said.
She said advance orders had been taken from a US dietary supplements manufacturer but preferred not to reveal their identity while the terms of the deal were ironed out.
The company would not reveal the pricing of Portusana, which has been shown to slow glucose absorption in the intestines; regulate cell uptake of glucose and benefit insulin modulation.
It is recommended three supplements with 60mg of the extract are taken with meals per day. A typical dose costs 0.05 cents.
Purslane extract has been development by Emil Flachsmann, the Swiss extracts specialist acquired by Frutarom in 2003.
Portusana was launched at the Vitafoods trade show in Geneva, Switzerland, in May, although remains in commercial development stage.
According to the International Diabetes Federation, the number of people with diabetes is expected to increase alarmingly in the coming decades from an estimated 30 million people worldwide in 1985 to 380 million in 2025.
