Perennial Greens
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[Plant-Derived Ingredients] Vol. 15 No. 12 December 2010 Perennial Greens By Sandy Almendarez, Editor Trends in the nutrition industry are as common as cookies at a holiday party. Current trends on display at SupplySide West in October included antioxidants from “new” sources like corn or olives, gluten-free options, social networks and sustainability throughout the supply chain. In contrast, one old standby still garners as much attention as the aunt who had too much eggnog at said holiday party: green foods. Green foods, i.e. plant-based nutrition with tons of chlorophyll and health benefits, will always be a topic of interest in this industry for two main reasons: consumers know they need them, and consumers don’t get enough in their diets. “Despite diet trends consistently changing opinions over the years, all trends ALWAYS agree that green foods are nothing but beneficial—and the public has ingested and wholly absorbed this information,” said Mike Dewey, marketing manager, AlgaeCal. While getting greens in the diet is not a passing trend in the nutrition industry, interest in getting greens in the diet in novel ways has increased recently. “Interest in green food ingredients has increased dramatically in just the last few years,” said Bob Capelli, vice president of sales and marketing, Cyanotech Corp. “For example, we had more interest in spirulina at SupplySide West this year than we’ve had at any show in the last five years.” Product manufacturers want to make green-food supplements and add them to foods and beverages because consumers are more interested. While consumers want more greens in their diets, they have been reluctant to add more snacks of broccoli and cooked spinach. “A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report released in September 2010 reported, in 2009 only 32.5 percent of Americans are meeting the USDA recommended fruit and vegetable intake,” said Jeff Wuagneux, president/CEO, RFI Ingredients. “Worse yet, consumption is actually down in the past decade, which tells us that even with the media and government telling us we should be eating more fruits and vegetables, we are not. This paradox may explain the interest by consumers in green-food products, which in turn is driving the manufacturer’s interest.” Consumers would do well to increase their green food consumption, as numerous studies show their health benefits. Population studies suggest a reduced risk of cancer is associated with high consumption of vegetables, like cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbage and broccoli; green tea; and asparagus.1 Specifically, intake of folate (found in vegetables) and green leafy vegetables may help protect smokers from gene action that promotes lung cancer.2 And, according to English researchers, increasing daily intake of green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, could significantly reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.3 Many of green foods’ benefits can be attributed to chlorophyll. In fact, Guinevere Lynn, director of business development, Sun Chlorella calls it “the most important ingredient that can be found in all green foods.” Chlorophyll, as we all remember from seventh-grade science, is the pigment that gives plants their green color. It’s vital for photosynthesis, the process that allows plants to get their energy from the sun. For humans, chlorophyll is known as nature’s detoxifer because it removes impurities and harmful elements from the body. Studies have shown it exhibits anticarcinogenic activity,4 so www.naturalproductsinsider.com Page 1 [Plant-Derived Ingredients] Vol. 15 No. 12 December 2010 much so that, in 2001, a group of researchers recommended it as means to prevent the development of liver cancer as well as other environmentally induced cancers.5 Greening the Oceans The depths of the world’s waters provide a vast number of green foods found to be beneficial to human health. For instance, Capelli said spirulina’s advantages include improving immunity, inhibiting viruses, helping with cardiovascular issues, improving eye and brain health, supporting the liver and kidneys, preventing anemia, improving blood health and reducing the risk of cancer. “Among the most researched areas have been immunity, cardiovascular health, cancer prevention and anti- viral properties,” he added. This alga is about 60-percent protein with all the essential amino acids. It contains beta-carotene, gamma-linoleic acid (GLA), B vitamins, minerals, trace elements, chlorophyll, enzymes and carotenoids. Many formulators see spirulina as a way to provide a kind of multivitamin. “Spirulina has become much more interesting to consumers because of the complete nutrition—protein, vitamins, antioxidants and phytonutrients—that it provides,” said Rudi E. Moerck, president and CEO, Valensa. “Spirulina is a complete food that offers high-quality protein (complete essential amino acids), phytopigments (beta-carotene, carotenoids and phycocyanin), essential fatty acids (EFAs), vitamins and minerals.” Beyond basic nutrition, studies have demonstrated spirulina’s specific benefits. A Brazilian article noted it has been experimentally proven, in vivo and in vitro, to treat certain allergies, anemia, cancer, hepatotoxicity, viral and cardiovascular diseases (CVD), hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, immunodeficiency and inflammatory processes, among others.6 In humans, Spirulina maxima intake decreases blood pressure and plasma lipid concentrations, especially triacylglycerols and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and indirectly modifies the total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol values, according to a 2009 review.7 It has also been to shown to be effective in reducing the risk of cancer. Almost half (45 percent) of tobacco chewers who had pre-cancerous lesions in their mouths and took 1 g/d of spirulina experienced regression of the lesions, compared to only 7 percent in a placebo group in one study.8 A Ukrainian study noted the liver-protective properties of spirulina are due to its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, membrane-stabilizing and immunocorrecting actions, and may prevent chronic hepatitis from turning into hepatocirrhosis.9 Spirulina may also attract athletes, as supplementation induced a significant increase in exercise performance and fat oxidation, reduced glutathione (GSH) concentration and attenuated the exercise- induced increase in lipid peroxidation.10 Also, small in size, yet big in benefits, chlorella is a type of green algae that absorbs large amounts of dioxin, lead, mercury and other contaminants. Only as big as a red blood cell, this one-celled organism contains 50-percent protein, vitamin B6, minerals, chlorophyll, beta-carotene, vitamin B12, and alpha-linoleic acid (ALA) and GLA. www.naturalproductsinsider.com Page 2 [Plant-Derived Ingredients] Vol. 15 No. 12 December 2010 Dioxins are environmental contaminants that exert a variety of harmful effects, including increasing cancer rates, suppressing immune function and disrupting thyroid dysfunction. However, nursing mothers who supplemented with Chlorella pyrenoidosa exhibited reduced dioxin levels in breast milk and higher immunoglobulin (Ig) A concentrations in their milk.11 “Detoxifying is one of the main reasons consumers take chlorella,” Lynn said, “but there are so many condition-specific benefits chlorella provides due to its rich nutrient content (lutein, vitamin A, folic acid, etc.).” Other specific reasons to take chlorella include its heart benefits, with research showing it suppresses the increase of serum cholesterol level caused by a high-cholesterol diets,12 and can decrease high-normal blood pressure and borderline hypertension.13 Chlorella has also been shown to prevent stress-induced stomach ulcers;14 possibly prevent allergic diseases, such as food allergies;15 could reduce body fat;16 and reduced the risk of pregnancy-associated anemia, proteinuria and edema.17 Chlorella used for supplements can be grown indoors or outdoors with manufacturers promoting the benefits of both options. Sun Chlorella is in the "outdoors" camp. "We culture chlorella outdoors because it has been determined that by culturing chlorella outside under strict sanitary measures instead of in tanks, the full exposure to sunlight allows us to obtain the useful chlorella nutrients "therefore, there is a reason that chlorella is called 'Packed Sunlight™'", Lynn explained. "The chlorella produced by the latest technology at our culturing plant is exported to Japan to be processed as Sun Chlorella products under rigid quality control (QC) by Japan's and our own strict standard. Sun Chlorella meets all GMP requirements as established by FDA, which ensures the high standards of our manufacturing and distribution." However, both Optipure Brand and Solazyme choose to grow their chlorella indoors. "While common chlorella is produced outdoors autotrophically, OptiPure offers a heterotrophically grown chlorella cultivated indoors in sealed and sterilized containers," said Ron Udell, president and CEO, Optipure Brand/Kenko International Inc. "Indoor growth eliminates airborne contaminants and allows for maximum growth in a hygienically controlled environment. Heterotrophic cultivation results in a clean, pure, and highly active product. Chlorella produced by this method of strict sterile control guarantees a nutrient-rich product that is safe and consistently yields a higher quality product year round."• Ken Plasse, senior director marketing, sales and business development, Solazyme Health Sciences, said algae grown outdoors in open