Arjuna Natural Extracts has said that year-on-year global sales growth of 20% for its BCM-95 curcumin demonstrates the growing interest in turmeric extract as a functional ingredient.
Turmeric is one of Google’s rising food trends for 2016, ranked by volume of searchers, and interest in curcumin has grown by 56% from November to January.
Arjuna Natural Extracts has increased its production capacity by 20% to match growing demand for BCM-95, according to Jomy Jose, marketing director for Arjuna.
“Consumers already trust this ingredient and brand, and growing awareness of the health benefits of turmeric extracts spurred an increase in sales of BCM-95 of 20%,” he explained.
Jose noted tha,t while consumers are actively seeking information on turmeric, there is confusion in the market about curcumin absorption and oral bioavailability, Also, unsubstantiated claims by various “rush-to-market” copycat turmeric products have contributed to consumer insecurity.
The main problem of curcumin is that it is not absorbed nor retained well in the blood. Many curcumin products add synthetic additives to solve this problem. Such additives can have a negative impact on the active ingredients’ purity and potency, Arjuna claimed. In the cases of unregulated turmeric products, the additives themselves, as well as purity problems in general, could lead to potential health issues with long-term use.
“Any supplement you put into your body should be both safe and effective,” insisted Benny Antony, joint managing director for Arjuna. “Arjuna’s curcumin is highly bioavailable thanks to the synergism between the curcumin and the compound ar-turmerone, an essential oil component of turmeric extract. Ar-turmerone concentrates in BCM95 synergistically combine with curcuminoids to reach the blood stream in unmodified – and thus more bioactive – form.”
“There is a gap between consumer desire to use good-for-you curcumin and the offerings in the market,” added Jose. “This makes it harder for processors to develop a new supplement or functional food or beverage. Arjuna has the expertise and technical staff to help product developers fill this gap.”
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