Branded as IMMUNUM PRO, the new ingredient a harvested whole Euglena algae that the company says provides 65% or more beta-glucan by weight. The result is that Valensa can market the product as a whole food ingredient that requires minimal processing, said Valensa CEO Rudi Moerck, PhD.
The algae will be supplied to Valensa by partner Algaeon, Inc., based in Indianapolis, IN. The algae is a photosynthetic species which Algaeon grows in closed conditions using tubes and artificial light.
“In order to have algae as a whole food ingredient you can’t have it open ponds. You can’t grow it in the open where a bird could poop in it,” Moerck told NutraIngredients-USA. “Euglena is a fairly fast growing organism, and the beta-glucan we derive from Euglena does not need to be processed further.”
The Valensa/Algaeon ingredient shares that benefit with another algal supplier, Algal Scientific, whose 1,3 beta-glucan ingredient is in only available for animal feed thus far. The beta-glucan in algal cell walls is loosely bound and is thus bioavailable in a whole form. The beta glucans from yeast, by contrast, are tightly bound in the cell walls and need additional processing.
Finished product strategy
Under Moerck’s direction, Valensa have moved from being an ingredient supplier to a company offering finished formulations. Moerck said more than 85% of the company’s products are now formulated products. So it will be with the new beta-glucan ingredient. The company will offer it in an as yet to be determined finished formula that will target immune support, at least to start.
"Immune support is obviously an extremely important human need. However, many of the ingredients that are currently being marketed have drawbacks – they are heavily processed and mostly less effective than pure 1,3 beta-glucan. IMMUNUM PRO addresses these issues to deliver what people are looking for in immune support, namely minimal processing and high potency,” Moerck said. "We selected Euglena algae-derived 1,3 beta-glucan because its form is believed to be the most effective at boosting immune support. This means lower doses required, and less space required in formulations containing additional immune boosting ingredients.”
Moerck said there is already a significant amount of scientific literature available on the effect of pure 1,3 beta-glucans. But the company is in the final stages of an agreement for a clinical trial of its own on its ingredient.
“We are in the process of conducting our own clinical trial. We don’t like to make claims without having good documentation. We have already agreed to a protocol with a reputable research group for a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. We already pretty much know what the results will be, but the trial will confirm those results with a whole food, algal beta-glucan ingredient,” he said.
While this is Valensa’s first foray into immune health formulations, other possible product categories are possible for the ingredient, Moerck said. The ingredient has shown some possible benefits in helping consumers who suffer from seasonal allergies.
“There is a big opportunity in allergies. There is an indication that people who suffer from allergies like hayfever may benefit from this product. But more research needs to be done before we could make that claim. A study on that is planned. How 1,3 beta-glucans boost the immune system is easy to measure. Allergic endpoints are much more difficult to measure, but it is doable,” Moerck said.