One of just a handful of bioactive ingredients to secure a positive health claims opinion polyphenols from the European Food safety Authority (EFSA), hydroxytyrosol is claimed to reduce oxidized LDL cholesterol, an emerging risk factor for atherosclerosis.
As the oxidation of LDL leads to a series of events that result in fatty streaks in artery tissue, which in turn morph into arterial plaques, OxLDL levels are seen by some scientists as a more useful predictor of risk for developing cardiovascular disease than total cholesterol or LDL-cholesterol.
However, hydroxytyrosol is also known for its anti-inflammatory powers, with a recent study from DSM Nutritional Products published in Planta Med showing it inhibited the pro-inflammatory compounds nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in mouse cells.
25% minimum hydroxytyrosol
“The level of interest [in Olea25] is very high”, a spokeswoman for Certified Nutraceuticals told NutraIngredients-USA.
“Extra Virgin Olive oil contains small amounts of hydroxytyrosol. Olea25 has 25% minimum hydroxytyrosol and the dosage requirement is only 100mg per day.”
She added: “Most companies offer lower percentages of hydroxytyrosol. Our advantage is our unique production and purification technology. The Oleuropein has been completely transferred into hydroxytyrosol by a biotransformation process leaving no Oleuropein residue in the final product.”
New directions in the cardiovascular health market
Market data unveiled by Windrose Partners president Greg Stephens at the SupplySide East show in May suggested that new product launches in the US food, drink and dietary supplements market on a heart health platform had tripled in the past five years, and now account for 1.5% of all new product launches.
“More education is needed,” said Stephens, “but consumers are beginning to learn that cholesterol is only one biomarker of cardiovascular health.”
Other ingredients focusing on the reduction of oxidized LDL cholesterol include Artinia - a chitin-glucan fiber from the fungus Aspergillus niger marketed by Stratum Nutrition that has attracted a lot of interest from food and drink manufacturers as well as supplement makers, according to global business director Jeremy Moore.
“Artinia is not the only ingredient that affects oxLDL levels, but it’s very unusual in that it’s also a fiber.
“If you’re talking about hydroxytyrosol, it’s good in its pristine state, but what if it has been sitting around in a warehouse for weeks? You don’t have to worry about this with Artinia, it’s inert, it’s not really an antioxidant in and of itself.”
Sales of US heart health ingredients (wholesale) topped $563m in 2008 and were predicted to exceed $1bn by 2012, reflecting a compound annual growth rate of 20%, he added.
Click here to read about the DSM study into hydroxytyrosol.
Click here to read the FESA opinion on hydroxytyrosol.