Good News for Knees

A special collagen hydrolysate mitigates the symptoms associated with mechanically stressed joints. GELITA FORTIGEL® has demonstrated significant improvement in the case of the knee, in particular. A clinical study showing this was presented at this year’s Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI). In the prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled and double-blind study, participants suffered from joint symptoms caused by sports activity. Knee joints, in particular, benefited from the administration of collagen hydrolysate. GELITA Health Initiative, +49 (0) 6271/84 2194, oliver.wolf@gelita.com, www.gelita-health-initiative.com

New Botanical Trademarks

The Phytonutriance® line is a range of botanicals with naturally-occurring, guaranteed actives and is backed by clinical trials and/or patents. To further differentiate this unique line of products, Diana Naturals has added the following trademarks to ingredients in the line: Phytonutriance HealSea™ focus extract for cardiovascular health; Phytonutriance ChondrActiv™ joint health product; Phytonutriance Brassicare™ broccoli extract standardized to glucoraphane; Phytonutriance Appl’In™ apple extract with 80% polyphenols and 5% phloridzin for weight management applications; and Phytonutriance CranPure™ cranberry extract with 30% PACs. Diana Naturals Inc., 845-268-5200, gstruble@diana-naturals-inc.com

Joining for Joint Health

Two leaders in the healthy/functional food and beverages sector have signed an agreement to supply a novel ingredient with health benefits. WILD Flavors Inc. and Diversified Natural Products will supply OligoFlex® to the food and beverage industry. OligoFlex is a potent, natural product derived from a patented, enzymatic hydrolysis of chitosan. Through the patented process, it is specifically designed to aid in joint health. Studies performed with the ingredient have shown it significantly reduces joint swelling and relieves joint pain. WILD Flavors Inc., 859-342-3526, dhansee@wildflavors.com, www.wildflavors.com

Complete Nutrition

A new, high-anthocyanin nutritional blend is being developed. FutureCeuticals Inc.’s AnthoComplete™ boasts a wide spectrum of anthocyanins derived from many fruits, vegetables and legumes. Published research has associated anthocyanins with healthy aging, inflammation management, improved blood sugar metabolism and cardiovascular disease management. The broad range of anthocyanins in AnthoComplete makes this blend a distinctive alternative to single-source anthocyanin products. FutureCeuticals Inc., a division of Van Drunen Farms, 888-452-6853, kkapteyn@vandrunen.com, www.futureceuticals.com

Flax Databases to Glycemic Index Webinar

Visit the Flax Canada 2015 website for new research databases, including a Human Health Research database with some 300 abstracts of published papers on flax research and related topics (www.fc2015.ca/index.jsp?p=abstractsearch) and an Animal Health and Feed Research database, with over 100 abstracts on flax in feed and related topics (www.fc2015.ca/index.jsp?p=abstractsearch2). Additionally, the Webinar “Flax, Fiber and Glycemic Index,” with presentations on “The Science of the Glycemic Index,” “Marketing GI around the World,” “New Product Launches in GI” and “Flax and GI,” is now archived at www.PreparedFoods.com. See “Webinars” on PreparedFoods.com’s navigation bar, www.fc2015.ca and www.healthyflax.com

Nutritional Functionality from Omega-3s

One corporation has added omega-3 flax ingredients to its product line, in response to growing consumer demand. A proprietary process that yields fully fatted, highly stable powders produces Avatar Corporation’s ProEssential™ omega-3 flax ingredients. ProEssential ingredients are non-GMO, gluten- and allergen-free, vegan and kosher-certified. Conventional and certified-organic powders, seeds and lignans are available. In addition to omega-3 benefits, these cost-effective ingredients deliver nutritional functionality from other natural flax components. They are also a source of essential minerals and vitamins such as magnesium, manganese, zinc, vitamin B6 and folate. Avatar Corporation, 708-534-5511, inquiries@avatarcorp.com, www.avatarcorp.com

New Fair Trade Certification in the U.S. Will Enable Market Growth

Although the fair trade movement has a long-evolving history, recent developments in the standards and market growth from both the U.S. and Europe harken back to the early organic movement in the U.S. Until fairly recently, Transfair has been the only fair trade certifier in the U.S. Now, a new, complimentary standard for fair trade certification has been developed and made available to the U.S. market--through the large and well-known organic certifier, the Institute for Marketecology (IMO).

IMO has global offices, offering organic certifications for all major world markets, along with a number of other important labeling standards and certifications. Due to requests coming from organically certified producers who could not be certified through existing fair trade standards, IMO developed a new fair trade certification called Fair for Life. This now opens up certification to a wide range of products and types of operations, including dietary supplements, foods and functional foods of all kinds. It also includes multi-ingredient products, toys, textiles, handicrafts and cosmetics. This will help enable market growth of the fast-growing fair trade movement in the U.S., as now all the types of products and operations will be certifiable.
--Kerry Hughes, Contributing Editor