Vitafoods Europe 2022, booth C94: Euromed presents its extended range of Mediterranean fruit and vegetable extracts™ for healthy ageing and wellbeing
At this year’s Vitafoods Europe, Euromed will showcase its well-known standardised herbal extracts, the Earth Harmony Organic Extracts®, as well as a growing portfolio of natural ingredients inspired by the health-promoting properties of the Mediterranean diet. In addition to lemon, olive, fig, artichoke and pomegranate fruit extracts, the iconic botanical manufacturer will also showcase its recently launched sports nutrition ingredient, the spinach-derived Spisar®. Visitors to the Euromed booth will learn more about the latest research findings, health benefits and various applications of these high-quality extracts, suitable for inclusion in pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, cosmeceutical, food and beverage finished products.
An ever-increasing older population wishing to stay well into later life is driving demand for products that support an active and healthy lifestyle. Euromed’s Wellemon®, Pomanox®, Mediteanox®, ABAlife® and Cynamed® extracts perfectly tap into this trend, as they contain valuable nutrients that play a key role in the Mediterranean diet and have been proven to support cardiovascular, metabolic, antioxidant, digestive, immune and skeletal muscle functions, all of which are critical for healthy ageing. Inspired by this nutritional model, Euromed will be highlighting its portfolio of extracts and presenting its new Spisar® spinach extract. Obtained from the nutrient-rich leaves of spinach cultivated in southern Spain, it is gently processed with the Pure-Hydro Process®, an eco-friendly, proprietary extraction technology that uses only purified water as a solvent. Spinach leaves have a naturally high content of phytoecdysteroids, plant secondary metabolites with a wide range of potential physiological and health benefits, such as improved physical performance and skeletal muscle fitness. Spisar® is standardized for 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) – the major naturally-occurring ecdysteroid in plants.
Researchers from the Sports Physiology Department at the Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia (UCAM)1, in Spain, investigated the efficacy of daily consumption of Spisar® spinach extract compared to placebo in combination with moderate-intensity skeletal muscle strength training.
The results of the 12-week randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial revealed that supplementation with Spisar® significantly improved muscle strength and muscle quality in subjects aged over 50 compared to a placebo. The published study also highlighted improvements in muscle mass and quality, as well as quality of life. The authors concluded that Spisar® in conjunction with physical exercise may exert overall “all-body strengthening” adaptogenic activity, and may be beneficial for improving and maintaining muscle health and fitness, both of which are crucial for healthy ageing.
1Pérez-Piñero, S.et.al (2021): A 12-Week Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial,Evaluating the Effect of Supplementation with a Spinach Extract on Skeletal Muscle Fitness in Adults Older Than 50 Years of Age. Nutrients 2021, 13, 4373.
Euromed, a leading producer of standardised herbal extracts, has appointed Xavier Ragàs as new Head of Quality Control. Xavier has a PhD in Chemistry, covering organic and analytical chemistry, photochemistry and microbiology.
After finishing his degree in 2010, Xavier began working as a lab technician at Bunge, an international agribusiness and food company. Having been promoted to the position of Quality and Food Safety Manager, he was responsible for implementing new analytical techniques, supervising internal laboratories and monitoring and adapting plant processes, in line with ISO standards and feed safety certifications.
In 2015, Xavier joined Morchem, an adhesive producer mainly focused on flexible packaging. As Quality Manager, he led the quality control department in its transition from an old ERP to a brand new SAP system.
In his new role as Head of Quality Control at Euromed, Xavier is responsible for quality and process control from the raw materials to the finished products. Euromed products begin with botanicals that are verified, grown and harvested properly to preserve plant integrity and bioactive profiles. Each production batch – from the herb to the final extract – undergoes several laboratory tests for identity, potency and potential impurities to guarantee the highest standards. From botanical macro- and micro-identification and control of active principles and potential impurities to chromatographic analyses, the company tests botanical raw materials exhaustively, in accordance with international regulations.
Euromed’s natural ingredient ABAlife™ shows beneficial effects on glucose metabolism
A recently published human study from the University of Sydney, Australia, evaluated the efficacy of ABAlife™ on glucose metabolism blood parameters1. The abscisic acid (ABA) standardized fig extract has been shown to improve glucose tolerance, assist insulin release and may help to lower post-prandial blood glucose levels, besides having anti-inflammatory and adaptogen properties too2. ABAlife™ is a patented extract from Euromed, a leading manufacturer of therapeutic botanical extracts, and available for dietary supplements.
In the randomized, double-blind crossover study, the researchers investigated the effects of two different ABA doses in fig extracts (100 mg and 200 mg) on post-prandial glucose and insulin responses in healthy subjects. Figs have one of the highest ABA concentrations found in nature. A 200 mg dose of ABAlife™ added to a glucose drink lowered overall blood glucose and insulin levels and peaks between 30 and 120 minutes post-dose, and significantly improved glycemic index (GI) levels compared with a reference glucose solution alone. The GI indicates how fast and efficiently the body can metabolize a carbohydrate meal.
The lower dosage was also effective on GI but did not reach statistical significance. Both dosages, however, were able to significantly lower the post-prandial insulinemic index (II), which shows how much insulin the body releases in response to a meal. The data displays a clear dose-response reduction of GI and II.
This initial study suggests that ABAlife™ may be a beneficial dietary supplement in terms of helping to maintain healthy blood sugar levels and an adjunctive treatment for chronic metabolic disorders such as prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. According to the International Diabetes Federation, 66 million people in Europe have diabetes. Prevalence is rising among all age groups, mostly owing to increases in lifestyle-related risk factors such as unhealthy diets and physical inactivity. Sugar boosts the level of glucose in the blood and causes the pancreas to release insulin. Higher insulin levels lead to the storage of dietary calories as fat, which can result in overweight and obesity – both risk factors for diabetes. A second, larger acute clinical trial is currently ongoing, and a chronic administration study will start next year.
1ABAlife™ is a whole fruit extract that’s produced from figs according to the highest quality standards of Euromed and purified using a carefully controlled process to achieve a high, standardized ABA content. The ingredient delivers the scientifically proven health benefits of ABA while avoiding the additional calories associated with eating figs.
2Atkinson FS et al.: Nutrients. Abscisic Acid Standardized Fig (Ficus carica) Extracts Ameliorate Postprandial Glycemic and Insulinemic Responses in Healthy Adults. 2019 Jul 31;11(8). pii: E1757.
Zocchi E, Hontecillas R, Leber A, et al. (2017) Abscisic Acid: A Novel Nutraceutical for Glycemic Control. Front. Nutr. 4:24. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2017.00024
