Kemin granted EU and Brazil novel food approvals for algae-based beta-glucan

09 Dec 2020 --- Kemin Industries has received approvals in the EU and Brazil, allowing its algae-sourced beta-glucan ingredient BetaVia Complete to be placed on both markets. 

The “year-round immune support” ingredient is manufactured through a patented process using a proprietary strain of algae, Euglena gracilis ATCC PTA-123017, making it the first and only ingredient derived from this strain to be approved as a novel food by the European Commission (EC).

This approval grants five-year exclusivity on sales of the product in what Kemin underscores as a key market.

“This is an exciting time for Kemin Human Nutrition and Health and its immune platform, BetaVia, Filipa Quintela, marketing manager EMEA at Kemin, tells FoodIngredientsFirst. “Algae-enriched foods, beverages and supplements are one of the fastest growing product categories among consumers. 

“We have seen this trend play out with our customer launches in the US, Japan, China and many others launching shortly.”

The EU approval came shortly after the Health Regulatory Agency (Anvisa) of the Brazilian Ministry of Health’s resolution authorizing BetaVia for use as a new food ingredient in the country. 

“With this accomplishment BetaVia is now available in the US, Asia, China, Europe and Latin America reaching all the major global markets,” Quintela highlights.

“EFSA conducted an extremely rigorous evaluation of the safety data on BetaVia Complete,” adds Pedro Vieira, vice president of Europe and Latin America, Kemin Human Nutrition and Health.

Applications in health-positioned F&B offerings
The EU’s Commission Implementing Regulation includes usage for everyone above the age of one and allows for dried Euglena gracilis to be used as a novel food in food supplements, diet replacements for weight control and a number of food categories for the general population.

These food categories include breakfast, granola and protein bars; yogurt and yogurt beverages; fruit and vegetable juices; nectars and fruit/vegetable blend juices (smoothies); fruit-flavored drinks; meal-replacement beverages; and food supplements.

The food applications of BetaVia Complete include breakfast, granola and protein bars, among others.BetaVia Complete contains greater than 50 percent beta 1,3 glucan, as well as proteins, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and carotenoids.

Immunity-fortifying benefits
The rise of marine-sourced nutritional ingredients on the market has been spotlighted in NutritionInsight’s coverage of this rapidly evolving space.

Kemin highlights that the ingredient supports the immune system in three ways. Firstly, the supplement primes innate immune cells, the body’s first line of natural defense.

The ingredient also fuels the growth of beneficial “good bacteria” – including lactobacilli and bifidobacteria – in the gut microbiota, which hosts most of the body’s immune cells.

In addition, BetaVia Complete has been found to help improve the health of intestinal cells, which are essential in maintaining the integrity of the gastrointestinal tract so it can act as a protective physical barrier and immune shield.

These immune effects are supported by clinical and preclinical research on the respiratory and gastrointestinal tract.

Supplementation with BetaVia Complete for a 90-day period experienced the following immune-health benefits when compared to those participants who received a placebo:

• Thirty fewer upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) symptoms, which is 70 percent less than those receiving the placebo.

• Ten fewer URTI symptom days.

• Forty-five percent fewer URTI episodes.

• 3.3 fewer self-reported sick days.

• Eighty percent lower global severity, which is the total severity of symptoms over time.

Road to regulatory approval
In late 2018, Kemin Human Nutrition and Health submitted a Novel Food dossier for BetaVia Complete to the EC.

The submission included exclusive data generated by and belonging to Kemin that demonstrated the safety of BetaVia Complete.

This data was crucial in the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) positively assessing the safety of BetaVia Complete (dried Euglena gracilis algae) as a novel food pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283. 

EFSA’s positive opinion was published in May 2020.

On December 2, following discussion and a favorable vote on September 21, from all member states at the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed, the EC published the implementing regulation approving BetaVia Complete.

“Consumers are adopting a holistic approach to health,” remarks Filipa Quintela, marketing manager of Europe, Kemin Human Nutrition and Health.

“They are becoming more prone to make diet and lifestyle changes in order to improve immunity.”

By Benjamin Ferrer, with additional reporting from Katherine Durrell