Technology Opportunities

A drink that safeguards health during meals

Background

A new formulation based on naturally occurring polyphenols, has been developed by a team of researchers from the Institute of Drug Research at The Hebrew University in Jerusalem. This new formulation will be designed to be consumed as an integral part of a meal, tasty, low-caloric and non-alcoholic.

This unique formulation is based on a unique combination of naturally occurring polyphenols that have been proven to prevent the generation of toxic products during digestion and their absorption into the blood. It acts in the gastrointestinal tract by moderating the deleterious effects of unbalanced nutrition on the progression of diseases.

This unique formulation is based on research carried out by Professor Ron Kohen and his team at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Institute of Drug Research. Their work on the role polyphenols play in the prevention of absorption of toxic products was published in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB).

Need

Toxic oxidation products are abundant in common daily-consumed foods such as meat, fish or fried products. These deleterious compounds have been demonstrated to be responsible for a variety of clinical and pathological disorders, such as atherosclerosis, carcinogenic and mutagenic and degenerative diseases.

Market

Foods fortified with nutritional and disease-preventing qualities, “functional foods,” are invigorating the US food industry. Health-conscious consumers are driving the demand for products that aim to promote better health, increase longevity and prevent the onset of chronic diseases.

These supplements—often called nutraceuticals—are derived from natural foods and can be added to other foods to impart specific health benefits.

Advances in food and medical science as well as changing consumer demand and demographics are fueling growth in this market. Its significant potential is likely to attract further investment by food and food technology companies in response to emerging healthcare trends, including personalized medicine and greater incentives to reduce medical costs.

With between $20 billion and $30 billion in sales a year, functional foods comprise about 5 percent of the overall US food market. (PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Aug. 2009)

Advantages

• Our new formulation has specific benefits for high risk populations, such as those suffering from metabolic syndrome, diabetics, and obesity.
• It provides efficient antioxidant protection against lipid peroxidation processes in the gastrointestinal tract.
• It also prevents absorption of toxic agents and prevents the oxidation and decomposition of essential nutrients such as vitamin E, carotenoids and vitamin C.
• It improves digestion by modulating a variety of gastrointestinal tract enzymes.
• It may also specifically prevent the damaging association between the gastrointestinal track and oxidizing substances.

Regulatory

This new formulation can be defined as a functional beverage, liquid dietary supplement, or as a beverage. If marketed as a liquid dietary supplement or functional beverage it contains no novel ingredients and is composed only of GRAS ingredients.

A clinical study that was conducted using this new formulation provided a measurable postprandial parameter which supports the claims and health benefits of this development.