Sabinsa gets Canadian patent, health claims approval on curcumin ingredient

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Sabinsa sources its turmeric raw material from a network of small farmers in southern India. NutraIngredients-USA photo.

Sabinsa Corporation has achieved a new patent and a Health Canada claims approval on its uC3 Clear water soluble curcumin ingredient. In addition, the company announced two other Canadian patents on a ginger compound and a cosmetic ingredient.

“Our commitment to research and development is continuing to bring innovations that consumers can soon enjoy,” said Sabinsa Founder and Chairman Dr. Muhammed Majeed. “These patents provide the added assurance that low quality copycats won’t easily disrupt the marketplace, which protects our customers.” 

Sabinsa is a major turmeric ingredient supplier and has developed a number of forms of the ingredient.  One of the major drawbacks for turmeric ingredients in general are their poor solubility and poor absorption.  Sabinsa’s uC3 Clear is now patented in Canada for the method used to make it more soluble.

Patent CA2976689 is for an invention for a water-soluble form of Curcumin, which Sabinsa sells under the brand named uC3 Clear. The patent discloses a method of solubilizing curcuminoids using polyvinyl pyrrolidone and sodium bis (2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate. The aqueous solubility of curcumin/curcuminoid mixtures is enhanced to more than 10%-15% weight/volume in water. The company said solving this challenge opens the doors for easier incorporation of curcumin in functional beverages.

Approved health claims

In addition, Sabinsa has obtained Health Canada approval for claims related to uC3 Clear.  At the end of this process a product is issued a unique NPN (Natural Product Number) that relates to the product itself and the claims that may be used in marketing it.

Sabinsa has gained approval for the following claims:

  • Provides antioxidants for maintenance of good health
  • Used in herbal medicine to help relieve joint inflammation.

Sabinsa has also been granted two additional patents. One, CA2975170, pertains to the company’s OLEPENT peptide topical cosmetic ingredient.  The patent covers OLEPENT’s ability to improve skin hydration by upregulating a ‘water channel’ protein referred to as aquaporin 5. The third patent covers the anti-cancer properties of the compound (E)-4-(3’, 4’-Dimethoxyphenyl) but-1,3-diene (DMBPD), which has been isolated from Thai ginger (Zingiber cassumunar).  According to the patent particulars, the compound can restrict the growth of pancreatic, prostate and ovarian cancer cells and can inhibit their ability to adhere to other cells, thus conferring an anti metastatic property. The compound is patented for the same purposes in the US, Australia, Russia, New Zealand and Japan.