The heart health category looks set to expand beyond cholesterol-reduction and blood pressure regulation, following a tie up between a London-based technology firm and Coca-Cola and Unilever.
The ingredient at the centre of these deals is Fruitflow, a patented tomato extract proven to reduce the aggregation of the blood platelets responsible for blood clots - the trigger for heart attacks and strokes.
Its owner, Provexis, has just struck exclusive deals with multinational giants Coca-Cola and Unilever, which are looking to incorporate Fruitflow in heart-healthy drinks and spreads in the coming years.
Provexis, which launched its own range of juices containing Fruitflow under the Sirco brand last year, recently withdrew them from the market in order to focus on licensing deals for Fruitflow.
The rights to Sirco have since been transferred to a broker called Multiple Marketing, which plans to re-launch the brand in the UK next year, said Provexis chief executive Stephen Moon.
Provexis was now on the look out for other technologies to add to its portfolio, he said. “We are carrying out further due diligence on promising technologies identified at universities and research institutes in recent months. Subject to the due diligence and being able to agree appropriate commercial terms, we expect to add at least one technology to our pipeline this financial year.”
As to why academics or start up firms would partner with another technology business instead of a major manufacturer, Moon said: “Many are not at the stage where they can approach the likes of Unilever. They don’t have the clinical trials or the regulatory know how. We can bridge the gap.”
Work was also progressing on a strain of ‘super-broccoli’ containing more than three times the amount of sulforaphane - a powerful anti-carcinogen - than standard varieties, he said.