Ajinomoto Achieves GRAS Status for Dihydrocapsiate

Dihydrocapsiate is one of the capsinoid family of compounds and is structurally similar to capsaicin, the component that provides pungency to hot chili peppers.

22/04/09 Ajinomoto Co., Inc. has received a letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on March 9, 2009 citing no questions regarding Ajinomoto’s submission documenting the new ingredient dihydrocapsiate to be Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) and describing how it will be manufactured.

Dihydrocapsiate is one of the capsinoid family of compounds and is structurally similar to capsaicin, the component that provides pungency to hot chili peppers. Capsaicin has long been recognized as a compound that increases metabolism and energy expenditure. Like capsaicin, capsinoids activate certain receptors in the body that affect energy metabolism, but they are virtually nonpungent. Ajinomoto Co., Inc. has conducted a series of animal and human studies on capsinoids, some of which were published and/or presented at North American Association for the Study of Obesity (NAASO) in recent years.

“We believe dihydrocapsiate has broad potential for use in food products in the U.S. market, and that it represents a promising business expansion opportunity,” said Brendan Naulty, president, Ajinomoto Food Ingredients LLC.

Ajinomoto is currently working with food and beverage manufacturers to explore beneficial applications.

GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) is a process established by the FDA in 1958. In this system, substances used in food products undergo objective evaluations by academic experts in to determine whether they can be considered generally safe under their intended conditions of use.

In the United States, new materials intended for use in food products (excluding the dietary ingredients for dietary supplements) must either be approved as food additives or be determined to be GRAS.