Natreon takes functional extracts to Asia
market after teaming up with Maypro, a US-based firm with a strong
presence in the Japanese and Asian markets for functional foods and
dietary supplements.
The exclusive agreement will mean that Asian supplement manufacturers will have access to Natreon's Capros, Sensoril, PrimaVie and Crominex 3+ ingredients. Based in Purchase, New York, Maypro represents nutraceutical ingredient manufacturers from Japan. It has specialized in ingredients such as coenzyme Q10, chondroitin, glucosamine, alpha- lipoic acid and AHCC medicinal mushroom for the US market. The group conducts research for proprietary and branded ingredients through its subsidiary, Quality of Life Labs. Capros Capros is Natreon's branded extract of the superfruit Amla, or Indian Gooseberry (phyllanthus emblica). This is an antioxidant that helps prevent oxidative stress and degradation of skin proteins, and is said to enhance the firmness of the skin. In addition, when skin is exposed to the sun, enzymes are produced that degrade the proteins in skin. Capros is said to inhibit these enzymes from breaking down dermal proteins. The extract is also said to be have a 'cascading' antioxidant effect, which means that its antioxidant activity is prolonged over a long period of time. This compares to other antioxidant molecules, which may lose their function shortly after initiating antioxidant activity. Sensoril The company's branded ingredient Seonsoril is an extract of the 'mood food' Ashwagandha (withania somnifera), and is said to deliver an anti-stress component. Ashwanganhda has been used by ayurvedic practitioners in its native India for thousands of years. Its root is rich in flavonoids and steroidal lactones called withanolides, which are thought to have a number of beneficial properties, including anti-stress, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, mental cognition-boosting, immune-enhancing, and rejuvenating. Patented by Natreon and currently supplied through a partnership with nutritional ingredient firm NutraGenesis, Sensoril is made using ashwanganhda from cultivated sources in India, where it is extracted from the root and the leaf using a patented process involving water and methanol. The product is marketed to help inhibit fatigue, tension and exhaustion, help promote mental clarity, concentration and alertness, and help enhance balanced energy levels for physical performance and endurance. PrimaVie This supplement ingredient is derived from shilajit, another plant extract used in the ayurvedic system for energy boosting. According to Natreon, PrimaVie's competitive advantage comes from the fact that it works at the cellular level, which, claims the firm, makes it "a key contributor to healthy mitochondrial function and energy". The company is marketing it for energy enhancement, immune support, mental alertness, and anti-aging Crominex 3+ Crominex 3+ contains a blend of the firm's Capros and PrimaVie ingredients. According to Natreon, it is a patent-pending form of a biologically active chromium supplement "increases the safety and effectiveness of chromium". This safety advantage, claims Natreon, comes from the fact that cannot be converted to the toxic compound Cr 6+, even in an oxidative environment. The firm says that Chromium 3+ "helps insulin metabolize fat, turn protein into muscle, and convert sugar into energy". "Chromium-activated insulin considerably increases the amount of blood sugar available for energy production," says Natreon.
