Germany’s Plantextrakt has been producing and selling high-quality tea and herbal extracts, as well as decaffeinated tea, since 1980. Its portfolio includes more than 120 plants and the list is growing all the time. Claire Phoenix interviewed Plantextrakt head of product management, Oliver Hehn.
How do you see the botanical extracts market developing?
Oliver Hehn: The market is developing positively. The current economic climate may be challenging, but the underlying trends are all in favour of botanical extracts. The reasons are as follows … There’s a move in drinks that’s very much ‘back to nature’, and as botanical extracts are all natural, they fit this trend nicely.
There’s also a move back to ‘known ingredients’, and many botanical extracts have been around for a long time. Although we’re bound to lose some knowledge from the past, botanicals are still very much in evidence and therefore the ingredients are well known. This in turn helps, as there is also a trend towards ‘ingredients one can trust’. There has never been a discussion about the trustworthiness of botanicals as natural products, and there’s no need to. As a result of a combination of these three factors, we think that botanicals will develop positively. Furthermore, they’re easy to use in drinks so there’s no barrier to their use.
How can herbal extracts be used in various beverage products?
Hehn: Plantextrakt’s main sales segments are to the beverage industry, followed by the dairy industry and the baby food industry. Plantextrakt supplies spray-dried products of herbal, fruit and tea extracts all over the world. Additionally, liquid extracts are supplied to customers in Europe.
In today’s environment, Plantextrakt and its customers need to work as closely together as possible, so that we can supply the best possible extract. For example, we have chamomile, rosehip, ginseng and guarana extracts, all tailored to specific needs and often standardised on added values. Depending on the positioning of the final product, we can propose different extracts that best fit the product positioning.
Generally, Plantextrakt extracts are heat stable, acid stable, stable at high pH levels and suitable for normal shelf life without sedimentation challenges. At the same time, all of the points above need to be discussed in connection with the packaging used, the geographic area where the product is to be sold, and so on.
Operationally, the extracts are mixed with water. All extracts suitable for ready-to-drink beverages are cold water soluble and also dissolve quickly.
With the success of added-value functional products, beverage manufacturers are increasingly interested in this sector but need to convey to consumers the health benefits a drink will provide. What are the additional benefits offered by the different herbal extracts you produce?
Hehn: Within the added-value segment, Plantextrakt differentiates into three segments:
We’ve discovered that relatively small dosages of herbal and tea extracts can result in very positive results for the final consumer. But again, it’s not only the science which is in favour of herbals, it’s the considerable knowledge consumers already have concerning these herbs that makes them particularly useful.
BI Nutraceuticals vice president sales & marketing, Walt Postelwait.
What sort of range does BI offer that’s suitable for beverages? Are they mostly powders, liquids or teas, and what’s growing in popularity?
Walt Postelwait: We offer vitamin and mineral pre-mixes and botanical extracts. Most popular at present are guarana seed and ginseng for energy drinks, but we’re also seeing interest in superfruits such as acai and goji. These are extracted in the liquid state, then spray-dried onto maltodextrin as a carrier. Manufacturers tend to prefer these in powder form, as they’re more stable with a longer shelf life.
I see your history was with Blue Pacific Flavors and Fragrances and Degussa. What did this experience bring to your current role and how has it developed since?
Postelwait: I suppose I have a broader view of the functional ingredients sector which has grown significantly in recent years. Most suppliers have knowledge of the vitamin and mineral sector, but the VMS world is a very loose industry and some manufacturers are still using ethylene oxide and irradiation methods of production, which are ruled out by the Food and Drug Administration and in the EU. Our focus is on high quality, testing and guarantees.
What are beverage manufacturers looking for in terms of health benefits they can offer to consumers?
Postelwait: Along with the energy and antioxidant areas, we see a growth in demand for lutein for eye health, and phospholipids and soy for heart health. We take care identifying the species of genus as being the best available for the job in hand. We bring in the whole root or plant, not just the powder, as this can easily be adulterated. In fact, despite using select suppliers, we still reject about 17% of every shipping – either it’s the wrong species or has been subject to irradiation for instance.
We offer a massive variety, though, ranging from cocoa, green tea, wild jujube, yam root, cucumin (turmeric) garcinia, kudzu root, naringin, alpha lipoic acid, biotin, glucosamine, quercetin, L-Arginine, niacinamide (to name just a few). We’re seeing demand for increased energy, immune support, performance enhancement and an emerging focus among manufacturers on condition-specific formulations such as beverages for supporting brain health.
Can you briefly explain the IdentiLok species identification process.
Postelwait: We use FTIR micro and macro taxonomy to confirm that it’s the correct species, and sometimes gas chromatography and mass spectrometers. There are about 20 species of Echinacea, for instance, and some are more effective than others. It’s the rarity value and those which have undergone clinical trials which are most sought after and so cost more on the open market.
The root of ginseng for instance is the useful part, but you also see stem and leaf material being passed off as this. Ginseng from different geographic regions is said to have a different effect. Chinese ginseng for instance is said to give energy, while Siberian ginseng can be calming.
Your past life included selling citrus juice concentrates to Fortune top 500 companies. Do you still deal with these same companies or has the whole sector changed for you?
Postelwait: No, I’m still dealing with many of the same companies – Pepsi and Coke, of course, and Florida Naturals (even though it was 15-16 years ago).
And do you take supplements?
Postelwait: Yes, I take a multivitamin and mineral pill, and fish oil in the form of omega-3 with DHA.
In March, the 4th Annual American Botanical Celebration and Awards Ceremony took place in Anaheim, California. The ceremony featured the presentation of the annual ABC Botanical Excellence Awards, honouring individuals and companies with a great impact on the present and future of the herbal medicine movement. Indena was named the recipient of the ABC Varro E. Tyler Commercial Investment in Phytomedicinal Research Award.
Professor Giovanni Appendino has been appointed editor-in-chief of Fitoterapia, one of the longest-running journals for medicinal plants publishing innovative research on the chemistry, pharmacology and use of medicinal plants and their derivatives.
Founded in 1924 by Indena, Fitoterapia is co-published by Indena and Elsevier. Giovanni Appendino said: “I’m grateful to Indena and Elsevier for giving me the opportunity to contribute in spreading interest in natural products and their medicinal applications to the widest possible audience. There are clear molecular, evolutionary and structural bases for the relevance of natural products in drug discovery, and Fitoterapia will take upon the task to bring them to the attention of the biomedical community.”
Starlight Products, set up in France in 1997, is a specialist international trading company offering botanicals, natural raw materials and ingredients. Beverage manufacturers can benefit from its large experience on the African continent and in natural gums sourcing and processes.
A member of the Iranex Group for more than 100 years, the company offers natural resins and balsams, natural waxes, water-soluble gums, hydrocolloids oils, fats and butters, aromatic and medicinal plants.
“Our supplies are based on a unique network of subsidiaries, affiliated partners, producers and collectors in Sub-Saharan Africa, east Africa, Austral Africa, southeast Asia, Latin America and Mediterranean region,” said sales manager, Guillaume Delaunay. “Some of our sources are dedicated to Organic Certified products and projects, while the collaboration with rural communities in certain regions requires a respectful approach of the environment and traditions, ensuring sustainable development of our projects.”
After 2011, it’s feared that thousands of products will fail to achieve registration for scientific, financial or other reasons, resulting in a mass homogenisation of the EU botanicals market.
Botanicals such as arthroscopic, Ayurvedic and Chinese medicines are under threat because the requisite clinical trials are often not in place, nor do they have the 30 years of recorded safe use, including at least 15 years inside the EU.
The THMPD is being criticised as supporting bigger companies that can afford to pay the registration fees and build scientific dossiers to back claims. It’s believed that more than 100 registrations have been approved so far, mostly in the UK and Germany.
Talin (Thaumatin), wild harvested from the west African rainforests and a low-calorie flavour modifier, is a natural protein physically extracted from the Katemfe Fruit, Thaumatococcus daniellii.
Thaumatin has been used by the west Africans for hundreds of years to sweeten corn breads, sour fruits and to make palm wine palatable. Talin is a very sweet protein and has a unique tertiary structure stabilised by the presence of eight disulphide bridges, making it unusually stable to heat and pH. It’s primarily used to modify and enhance flavours.
Justine Lord of Overseal said: “In the last 20 years, a number of collection and processing centres have been established. The local people wild harvest the fruits and directly reap the financial benefits. Research conducted for Overseal Natural Ingredients by Flavometrix using its unique taste-aroma delivery system (Dynataste) demonstrates the effect of Talin on aroma perception.
“Talin works with aroma compounds, both enhancing the flavour perception and improving the taste of products. It also combines well with other sweeteners and ingredients, extending and enhancing the flavour profile and length of delivery. Talin will also mask bitterness and overcome the perception of off-notes, making it of interest in masking the aftertaste of some intense sweeteners, including stevia (the natural, zero-calorie sweetener Reb A) in beverages as well as for functional foods, and nutraceuticals products.
“Our sensory research shows the effect of Talin on bitter substances such as peptides, quinine and caffeine. Decreases in the perceived bitterness of products to 45% were achieved.
“Talin has good results when it comes to perceived mouth feel, even at low dosage levels. For instance, low-fat dairy products have a much fuller, creamier mouth feel even when Talin is added at just 2mg/kg. The technical team at Overseal works closely with their customers to optimise the level of inclusion in a product, with dosing in the parts perm levels it is easy to add too much! Talin is listed in the Codex General Standard for Food Additives. It also has Fema Gras approval and a Drug Master File. It comes in a number of concentrations on various carriers. An oil soluble form has been developed for use in essential oils and other fat applications. In Europe, it’s permitted in water-based beverages as 0.5mg/l, sufficient to enhance flavours and minimise some aftertastes and in the US at up to 25mg/l.”
Stevia, the natural sweetener created from the Stevia rebaudiana leaf, has created a storm of interest over the last year. The new product launches come at a time when diabetes is on the increase as a result of growing obesity, in turn the result of excess sugar consumption. Now Reb A provides the natural solution, hence the excitement around the world’s food and beverage companies.
However, use of this natural sweetener isn’t without its problems, R&D departments and flavour houses have been busy working out the best formulations in order to gain the best taste profile with maximum cost optimisation. Since stevia’s launch in 2008, among others, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have started to launch new products with Reb A. The US is currently its biggest market but products sweetened with natural stevia leaf are likely to see substantial growth in Europe over 2009.
Green tea expert Taiyo remains at the forefront of highly functional ingredients, showcasing its range of active green tea products at Vitafoods 2009. As research into green tea continues to uncover further health benefits, Taiyo’s technical and scientific credentials give manufacturers the opportunity to capitalise on the rising popularity of this natural ingredient.
Naturally occurring catechins specific to the Camilia sinesis – commonly known as green tea – are thought widely responsible for the plant’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. By neutralising free radicals within the body, these catechins help reduce cellular damage. Green tea also contains the amino-acid L-theanine, known for reducing psychological and physiological stress responses and exerting a calming effect.
Green tea has been linked with regulating blood sugar, promoting digestion and improving mental processes. The natural antioxidants delivered by Taiyo’s Sunphenon TH and XLB can help regulate blood glucose levels, boosting metabolism and lowering intestinal absorption of cholesterol, ultimately promoting weight loss and a healthier heart. Latest research shows that green tea catechins may also ward off gum disease.
Taiyo offers its range of Sunphenon, Suntheanine, Sunfibre and Sunactive products in a highly bioavailable soluble powder. The ingredients have no adverse impact on a finished product’s flavour profile and are ideal for applications such as beverages, energy drinks and dairy products.
Taiyo Europe is the European office of Taiyo Kagaku Japan, a leading manufacturer of functional ingredients for the food, beverage and dietary supplements industries. Taiyo focuses on developing innovative ingredients derived from natural sources to strengthen the body’s ability to preserve health and well-being.
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