AssuriTEA Wellbeing is Affirmed as GRAS for Food and Beverage Applications

The expanded GRAS status of AssuriTEA Wellbeing comes at a key time when there is a growing interest among conventional food manufacturers to formulate with ingredients that can contribute established health benefits to their products.

Oct 17 2011 --- After evaluating available data, an independent panel of scientific experts concluded that AssuriTEA Wellbeing, meeting food grade applications, is GRAS based on scientific procedures under the conditions of use proposed by Kemin.

This allows AssuriTEA Wellbeing, already available as a dietary ingredient for use in dietary supplements, also to be used in a wide variety of foods and beverages, including: cereal, nutrition and energy bars, soft drinks, sports and isotonic drinks, energy beverages, fruit and vegetable juices, meal replacements and soft candies.

"The expanded GRAS status of AssuriTEA Wellbeing comes at a key time when there is a growing interest among conventional food manufacturers to formulate with ingredients that can contribute established health benefits to their products," says Linda Fullmer, senior vice president of Kemin's nutraceutical business.

Tea is well supported in the scientific literature for its antioxidant and other important health benefits and has been consumed safely for decades.  Antioxidants are nutrients that prevent or reduce oxidative damage that occurs daily in the body.  AssuriTEA Wellbeing contains the broad spectrum composition and antioxidant profile of natural brewed teas to promote general health and wellbeing.

"The constant on-the-go lifestyle many of us lead makes it difficult to get the necessary nutrients we need to remain healthy," says Fullmer.  "More and more, consumers are looking for and purchasing foods and beverages with nutrients that provide additional health benefits.  We look forward to working with food and beverage companies to offer consumers the established antioxidant benefits of green and black teas through the convenience of conventional foods formulated with AssuriTEA Wellbeing."

AssuriTEA Wellbeing is a proprietary blend of aqueous extracts of green and black tea produced under Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP). The green tea and black tea plant varieties are carefully selected to provide a wide range of naturally occurring antioxidants, which work in a complimentary manner to provide enhanced antioxidant protection.  AssuriTEA offers the advantage of being an aqueous rather than solvent extracted ingredient, making it World Friendly for use in global markets.