Following an assessment by the Burdock Group, the self-affirmation of the ingredient’s GRAS status opens the door for use in a wide array of products, including as dietetic cookies and low calorie candies, meal replacements and high protein liquids and bars, said the company.
“InterHealth has had great interest over the last several years from leading food companies wanting to include several of our GRAS ingredients in their products. Zychrome, in particular, offers manufacturers a superior form of chromium with unique claims,” said Paul Dijkstra, InterHealth CEO.
“Self-affirmed GRAS guarantees manufacturers of Zychrome’s safety. Zychrome GRAS is one example of InterHealth’s investment in comprehensive research behind our ingredients. The commitment to Zychrome research is also demonstrated in recent published efficacy research as well.”
Reinvigorating the blood sugar market
The ingredient was launched in 2011 and was in development for over five years, said the California-based company. The chromium is in the form of chromium dinicocysteinate, which is a combination of chromium, niacin and L-cysteine.
At the time of the launch, Paul Dijkstra, CEO of InterHealth, said that the chromium market had not seen anything new for about 20 years and the new ingredient would “reinvigorate the blood sugar market as the next generation in chromium supplementation”.
Recent findings published in the peer-review journal Molecular Nutrition & Food Research indicated that the chromium dinicocysteinate product may improve insulin management measures and outperform established chromium picolinate supplements.
Three months of supplementation with 400 micrograms of elemental chromium in the form of chromium dinicocysteinate produced 30% improvements in reduced fasting insulin levels and insulin resistance, compared with no significant improvements in the placebo or chromium picolinate.