AQUANOVA Receives Frost & Sullivan Award

29/08/06 Frost & Sullivan has awarded the “2006 Excellence in Technology Award” to Aquanova German Solubilisate Technologies (AGT) GmbH for developing the highly sophisticated solubilisation technology, based on nanoscaled encapsulation of nutrients and ingredients, for functional foods and dietary supplements.

“With this technology, nutrients are delivered in the micelle form in accordance with nature’s ‘nano architecture’. Hydrophilic and hydrophobic substances are converted into liquid NovaSOL solubilisates that are soluble in both fat and water,” notes Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Ms. Kasturi Nadkarny. “In doing so, the solubilisation technology enables cutting down on the amount of the active ingredients, which would have otherwise been lost in the conversion process.”

The human body needs to convert fat-soluble nutrients into micelles prior to absorbing them. Here, the Aquanova technology enables the formation of micelles, which are just 30 nm in diameter, for the encapsulation of active functional food and supplement ingredients, thereby enhancing its bioavailability many times over.

Nutrients in NovaSOL solubilisates are encapsulated and delivered as nanosized micelles of approx. 30nm in diameter, as required for enhanced absorption. This results in superior bioavailability of the encapsulated ingredient (e.g. vitamins, phytoextracts, coenzyme Q10 or fatty acids). High standard clinical studies such as the 2005 study for Coenzyme Q10 (“NovaSOL Q”), have proven a bioavailability up to four times higher when compared to straight CoQ10.

Droplet sizes in conventional emulsions and microemulsions are up to approximately 3,000 nm. They do not enhance absorption or penetration. Moreover, these formulations have a limited stability. NovaSOL solubilisates contain stable nanosized micelles, which encapsulate and deliver the nutrients / ingredients, and offer great advantages with respect to bioavailability, loading capacity, stability and ease of use.

Besides improving the efficacy of nutrients by improving their absorption, the solubilization Technology also allows adding fat soluble nutrients to crystal clear beverages, which had never been possible before.

“NovaSOL  solubilisates  are crystal-clear, even in water and offer excellent antioxidant capacity,” states Ms. Nadkarny. “It also offers advantages of processing without the utilisation of additives, uses patent-protected formulas (more than 30 patents are already issued) and the process leaves substances chemically unmodified, providing thermal, mechanical and pH stability.”

The technology, which has its roots back in 1995 (when AQUANOVA was founded), has been applied to a broad variety of substances such as ascorbic acid in the patented NovaSOL C (the first and only fat-soluble and chemically unmodified vitamin C worldwide) and Coenzyme Q10 (“NovaSOL Q”), among others. It also offers innovative features for phytoextracts, making them available as fully water and fat-soluble (‘ambiphilic’) solutions, which are easy to handle and integrate into end-products.

Aquanova has recently been granted a European patent for its new ambiphilic (both water and fat soluble) isoflavone solution (“NovaSOL ISO”). This holds special significance since soyisoflavones (which belong to the category of phytostrogens), exhibit a weaker effect than that of estrogen and the efficient absorption of the active substance has been always been a major challenge. These NovaSOL features allow the easy processing with softgels or beverages.

Underpinned by the company’s commitment to high production and material standards (such as ISO, GMP, Kosher, Halal, etc.) the unique benefits of its technology offer potential for its application in functional foods and dietary supplements, as well as innovative clear beverages, cosmetic products and pharmaceutical products.

Frost & Sullivan’s Excellence in Technology Award is bestowed upon a company that has pioneered the development and introduction of an innovative technology that has either impacted or has the potential to impact several market sectors. This award recognises a company’s successful technology development that is expected to contribute significantly to the industry in terms of adoption, change, and competitive posture. It also recognises the company’s overall technical excellence and its commitment toward technology innovation.