Kemin launches polyphenol-rich spearmint extract for cognitive health

07-Oct-2014 - Last updated on 08-Oct-2014 at 14:43 GMT

Kemin Industries’ Phenolic Complex K110-42 is derived from patent-pending, non-GMO lines of spearmint developed by Kemin plant scientists using traditional plant-breeding methods

Kemin is launching a proprietary phenolic complex sourced from patent-pending, non-GMO lines of its own purpose-grown spearmint for use in dietary supplements.

The ingredient, branded Neumentix Phenolic Complex K110-42, is positioned for the cognitive health sector and will be launched at the SupplySide West show in Las Vegas this week.

“The market for cognitive health products is growing rapidly worldwide, and we are very excited about these new clinical results and the launch of Neumentix,” said Linda Fullmer, senior vice president of sales and marketing for the human nutrition and health division of Kemin. “Consumers are concerned about staying mentally sharp and maximizing performance, and they need safe, clinically-supported products to address these concerns.”

The ingredient is reported to boost working memory, according to a recently completed 12-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in adults with age-associated memory impairment. In addition to the purported cognitive performance benefits, supplements of the polyphenol-rich ingredient were also associated with improved sleep measures.

A spokesperson for the company told us that the study was completed in July, and has not yet been published in a peer-review journal.

Earlier findings from an open label study looking at cognitive performance (and also assessing safety and GI tolerability) were presented at Experimental Biology, April 26-30 in San Diego, with the abstract published in the April issue of the FASEB Journal.