A company pioneering the use of nano-encapsulation to produce clear liquids containing water and fat-soluble bioactive ingredients is in advanced negotiations with manufacturers aiming to boost the bioavailability of ingredients like vitamin E, omega-3s or soy isoflavones in functional drinks.
“Historically, the problem for manufacturers has been that many of the active ingredients they want to use in functional foods are fat or water insoluble,” said Frank Behman, corporate development officer at German technology company Aquanova. “This means that they are poorly bioavailable. If you can increase or speed up the absorption of ingredients like lycopene, vitamin C, omega-3s or soy isoflavones, you can use less of them in products and increase their effectiveness without using additives.”
Darmstadt-based Aquanova makes ingredients like vitamins C fat and water soluble, producing clear 'solubilisates' that are more easily absorbed by the body, boosting the bioavailability of the active ingredient, he said.
“In contrast to the active ingredients they contain, our solubilisates can be used in foods without the addition of additives, any further processing steps or a matrix design. They are also perfect for clear beverages as they are crystal clear and transparent in aqueous solutions.”
Aquanova's technology is based on nano-sized carriers called product micelles that mimic the body's natural delivery systems for nutrients, he said. After almost a decade spent on research and development, Aquanova was now in advanced talks with companies manufacturing “everything from sports drinks to food supplements and cosmeceuticals”, he claimed.
The company's fat and water-soluble ascorbic acid (vitamin C), which is marketed and distributed by BASF, can be used in fats, oils and emulsions without the use of additives, he claimed, a first for the industry.
Similarly, its vitamin E-based solubilisate does not cloud liquids, making it ideal for sports drinks, waters and other healthy beverages, he claimed.
He added: “We've got more than 100 patent applications or patents pending and 35 patents already issued plus results of 10 controlled blinded bioavailability studies. The results vary, but we've seen four-fold increases in bioavailability.”