NIU’s Global Round-up: Astaxanthin from Indonesia, Niagen gets EU Novels Food approval, and more
Europe
ChromaDex gets EU novel foods approval for nicotinamide riboside
California-based ChromaDex has received a positive opinion from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for the safety of its nicotinamide riboside (NR) chloride ingredient (Tru Niagen) as a reliable niacin (vitamin B3) source.
EFSA stated that NR is safe at levels up to 300 milligrams per day (mg/day), for the healthy adult population, excluding pregnant and lactating women. For pregnant and lactating women, an intake of up to 230 mg/day was deemed safe.
“Safety is paramount for ChromaDex and this positive opinion from EFSA underscores our depth of science, and is the latest in a consistently positive series of reviews of NR by authoritative bodies,” said ChromaDex CEO Rob Fried.
For more on this, please click HERE.
Asia
Indonesian algae player enters global astaxanthin market
There’s a new player in the astaxanthin market with Indonesia’s first microalgae firm PT Evergen Resources, which was inaugurated late last month.
The company, which is located in Kendal, Central Java, will produce and sell its astaxathin from freshwater microalgae Haematococcus pluvialis under the brand AstaLuxe. The company is targeting the local nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics industry.
“Our short term goal is to produce high quality of natural astaxanthin and to fulfill domestic market and exported it to various countries which are currently dominated by suppliers from the United States, Israel, Japan and Iceland,” said Founder and CEO Siswanto Harjanto.
For more on this story from NutraIngredients-Asia, please click HERE.
LATAM
MCTs show sarcopenia potential
NutraIngredients-LATAM reported on data from a randomized controlled trial indicates that medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) may boost muscle strength and function in frail older people.
According to findings published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, scientists from the National Center for Global Health and Medicine in Tokyo, Japan found that six grams per day of MCTs for three months led to significant improvements in measurements of muscle strength and function, according to data published in the
“These data suggest that a 3-months intervention may be required to obtain substantial effects from MCTs and that the effects are reversible,” wrote the scientists.
The findings could have big economic implications for the US: Muscle loss is a natural part of aging, and researchers have estimated that, after the age of 50, we lose 1-2% of our muscles each year. Strength declines as well, at a rate of 1.5% per year beginning at 50 years and accelerating to 3% after the age of 60.
According to a monograph from the US Dairy Export Council, the direct health care cost attributable to sarcopenia were estimated to be $18.5bn in 2000 in the US, a number that represented about 1.5% of health care expenditures for that year.
