Antioxidants abound in the nutraceutical industry. How does one choose the ingredient that will pack the right antioxidant punch? Although many antioxidants show good in vitro results, or are touted with ORAC values, how do you know that it is going to perform for your consumer and in your product?
The answer comes from a farm and research facility in the far-off land of Brazil. Growing in the arid rural lands of this country is the fava d'anta plant, a leguminous tree of wild fava bean that produces copious amounts of the well-known antioxidant bioflavonoids rutin and quercetin. Merck S.A., Brazil, an affiliate of Merck KGaA in Darmstadt, Germany, has run fava d'anta through complex analyses and scientific processes on their on-farm laboratory to come up with highly bioavailable antioxidants for use in nutraceutical formulations. Along with distributor Seltzer Nutritional Technologies, the company has positioned these antioxidants as being some of the most bioavailable to reach the market.