While antioxidant use in nutraceuticals has been ubiquitous, trends in ingredients and their approaches to health value have been shifting.

Branded product manufacturers’ and ingredient suppliers’ promise of antioxidants for overall general health has been moving toward more targeted concerns.

“Antioxidants target a wide range of health concerns, encompassing several product categories in the nutraceuticals space …,” noted John Deaton, vice president of science of technology with Georgia-based Deerland Enzymes and Probiotics. “The trends associated with antioxidants reflect a general consumer shift toward preventive health, due in part to our aging population. According to Sloan Trends, ‘Healthy Agers’ is an identifiable Boomer sub-segment who are ready to make changes to their diets and lifestyles in the interest of remaining healthy and active,” he added. Top health concerns among this target are mental sharpness, ability to maintain an active lifestyle, eye health, heart health and bone health/strength.

“Functional foods, dietary components that may provide a health benefit beyond basic nutrition, is one of the industry’s fastest-growing categories,” Deaton continued. “Consumers are continuously in search of new products, and they usually look to food first for enhanced nutrition and benefits. As functional ingredients, antioxidants are very appealing to food companies that are seeking to expand product lines and excite consumers.”

As a result, reports are showing antioxidants’ value, especially in upcoming years.

“The antioxidant market is still doing extremely well,” noted Ramon Luna, marketing coordinator, Ecuadorian Rainforest (New Jersey). “According to a report from BCC Research, the antioxidants market may be worth up to $6.4 billion by 2022. That’s a very promising future indeed. There has been some significant growth overseas, especially Europe and Asia. And as nutraceutical products look for more natural ways of adding antioxidants, this market will continue to grow.”

However, it is important for suppliers and manufacturers to be aware of the fact that consumers will do the proper research to be able to choose the most beneficial ingredients.

“The market for supplements marketed as ‘antioxidant’ has been stagnant for many years due to consumers being inundated with products claiming to be antioxidants,” according to Bob Capelli, executive vice president of global marketing with California-based Algae Health Sciences, a division of BGG (Beijing Gingko Group). “It seems like so many supplements, as well as food and beverage items, are being touted as antioxidants, so consumers have become immune to the ‘antioxidant’ marketing pitch. However, functional antioxidants like astaxanthin that have tangible health benefits (in part, due to its antioxidant activity) are doing very well in the market.”

Antioxidant Ability

There are a plethora of antioxidants to consider, but manufacturers have a variety of go-to options that have caught momentum as of late, including multiple extracts and glutathione.

“Exotic fruit and berry extracts are certainly trending now,” explained Denton, “but these are large complex molecules that are not easily absorbed. One of the more popular antioxidant ingredients is glutathione. You might call it ‘nature’s strongest antioxidant;’ all living organisms have it, and it serves as a recycling pathway. It contributes directly to the destruction of reactive oxygen compounds and maintains/recycles vitamins C and E, which also exert an antioxidant effect. It’s a small peptide, making it more accessible and easily absorbed.”

Chloroplasts are an additional source of antioxidants, which Deerland has been able to capture through its product Solarplast.

“The chloroplasts in dark leafy greens, like spinach, are a rich source of the antioxidants, energy molecules and chaperones that provide a host of health benefits to the body,” Deaton added. Deerland’s newest branded product, Solarplast, uses the power of chloroplasts to support healthy aging by optimizing the body’s processes through natural energy and repair mechanisms. Solarplast is the result of an innovative and totally unique process that breaks down the cell wall of organic, dark leafy greens—something [the] body struggles to do—while still preserving the integrity of the plant’s spheroplast, the most nutrient dense compartment. Solarplast contains massive natural concentrations of antioxidants, energy molecules and molecular chaperones. Each of these components plays a role in healthy aging by repairing the damage done to our bodies through our everyday modern lives.”

Algae Health Sciences’ flagship product, AstaZine, is according to the company’s website, “the world’s purest and most concentrated natural astaxanthin,” and is supported by multiple studies.

“Astaxanthin is the world’s strongest and highest quality natural antioxidant, and its popularity is increasing quickly—but not due to its antioxidant potential,” stated Capelli. “It’s doing very well in the market because of its other clinically validated benefits that consumers can feel and see working in their own bodies. Astaxanthin is being used in many different formulas targeted at its clinically validated properties including skin health and beauty from within, eye and brain health, cardiovascular health, joint and tendon support, immunity and, in particular, for athletes and active people.

“Astaxanthin has 10 clinically validated health benefits, most of which can be felt or seen by consumers. Each of these ten benefits has a minimum of three human clinical studies backing them up, and in some cases there are dozens of studies.”

While Ecuadorian Rainforest’s herb, natural fruit, marine, spice and vegetable ingredients are in demand, according to Luna, “one of the budding antioxidant stars is golden berry. This ingredient has gained momentum due to its vitamin C, vitamin A, and other phytochemical aspects. Goldenberry is also a great source of polyphenols, another kind of antioxidant.

“Some of the older super fruits have become ubiquitous in several nutraceutical products. Because of this, products don’t stand out as much, so manufacturers are going for more exotic antioxidant ingredients,” he said. “This leaves room for several fruits from South America, many of which are amazing sources of antioxidant nutrients. Ingredients such as acerola, goldenberry, acai and many other exotic ingredients are gaining a significant foothold in the industry and the eyes of consumers.”

Research Beyond ORAC

Research itself is beginning to make a transition from more general to condition-specific oriented; manufacturers and suppliers alike want to know the details on how they help the body.

“Although antioxidants are said to have a whole array of health benefits, the trend seems to have moved from general antioxidants to condition-specific approaches that focus on the repair of specific tissues such as the liver, kidneys, stomach and intestines,” Deaton noted.

Deaton explained the key function of antioxidants—they protect the body from harmful free radicals, but it should be noted there are various types.

“Antioxidants are well known for the protection they provide our bodies from damaging free radicals,” he said. “Free radicals are unstable atoms or molecules that oxidize other molecules and are produced by our bodies as part of normal metabolism as well as other environmental factors. There are four different types of free radicals, and until recently, research has mainly focused on the hydroxyl variety. In fact, the ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) value has been a widely recognized indicator of antioxidant potency for many years. The ORAC method essentially uses a specific antioxidant component of vitamin E as the standard for comparison. The drawback in using this method exclusively is that this component of vitamin E is only one type of antioxidant. It’s important to know that just because an ingredient doesn’t correlate with the properties of vitamin E, it doesn’t mean it’s low in antioxidant potency. Many researchers are finding that it makes more sense to combine the ORAC with other assays to get a more complete understanding.

“Furthermore, there is no evidence that ORAC values have any biological significance following consumption of any food. Researchers today are focusing more on how to make antioxidant products that are more bio-accessible. Similarly, FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) is a measurement of antioxidant power that uses blood plasma. This test is also somewhat limiting, as other tissues can be tested. Tests such as ORAC and FRAP are still relevant, but only tell part of the story. There are now much more comprehensive testing methods available to determine the actual antioxidant potency of an ingredient.”

Despite the significance of being able to properly determine antioxidant potency, the concept of determining those aforementioned health benefits cannot be stressed enough.

“An antioxidant ingredient has to do something besides scavenging free radicals to be successful,” Capelli explained. “While neutralizing reactive oxygen species is super-important for our health, consumers are looking for more specific health benefits, for example for eye and brain health or for endurance and athletic performance. Research on these condition-specific health benefits is what everyone in the supply chain, from raw material producers to brands to consumers, are most interested in nowadays.” NIE

For More Information:

Algae Health Sciences, www.bggworld.com
Deerland Enzymes and Probiotics, www.deerlandenzymes.com
Ecuadorian Rainforest, LLC, www.intotherainforest.com