Degussa to distribute grape extracts

Degussa will market, under the trade name GRAP'ACTIVE, various types of grape seed and grape skin extracts into the functional food and health supplement market for Ferco Nutraceutique.

Degussa Food Ingredients has been appointed by Ferco Nutraceutique as the exclusive distributor for its GRAP`ACTIVE product line in North America and Asia. Degussa will market, under the trade name GRAP`ACTIVE, various types of grape seed and grape skin extracts into the functional food and health supplement market. Ferco Nutraceutique is specialized in the extraction of polyphenol and proanthocyanidine rich fractions of high quality grapes from French vineyards.

GRAP`ACTIVE extracts are specifically designed for food applications and manufactured by a patented process based on water without the use of any organic solvent. Ferco’s gentle extraction process preserves the active substances in grapes and provides a tasteless, highly wettable and completely water-soluble extract which makes GRAP´ACTIVE the preferred choice to add antioxidative proanthocyanidines to beverages, dairy products and various water based food matrices.

“Degussa Food Ingredients sees GRAP´ACTIVE as a perfect addition to its portfolio of bioactive ingredients like the antioxidant ALIPUR, the branded alpha-Lipoic acid which is manufactured by a water based and organic solvent free process” says Dr. Karl-Heinz Zirzow, Marketing Director Health & Nutrition of Degussa Food Ingredients. “We are excited to combine the unique properties of the natural antioxidant GRAP`ACTIVE with Degussa´s in-house expertise in food applications for yoghurts, ice cream, beverages or fruit jellies” he adds.

Marc Féries, Ferco Developpement Chairman & CEO, is enthusiastic about what he considers as “a strategic partnership for both our companies, Degussa being the natural and best qualified partner to increase our market share in North America on this type of products”.

Considering the current consumer trend towards lifestyle drinks with added health properties, natural antioxidants are expected to see a rapid growth especially in the beverage industry. Numerous studies show that polyphenols are very effective in fighting oxidative stress and protecting against cardiovascular problems by avoiding the formation of blood clots or the oxidation of low-density blood lipoproteins.

GRAP`ACTIVE with a content of up to 95 % polyphenols, 85 % proanthocyanidines and 22 % OPC´s is adding back to food the health benefits of natural antioxidants which are not consumed at the recommended dose level in our diets. This can be due to poor eating habits which often means low consumption of fresh fruit or vegetables.

Last week Degussa announced the launch of a new product known as ALA CD in cooperation with the leading Cyclodextrin company, WACKER's fine chemicals and biotechnology business division WACKER FINE CHEMICALS. The product consists of alpha-Lipoic Acid microencapsulated on a molecular level with alpha-Cyclodextrin. The patent pending product is dispersible in water and characterized by a significantly improved shelf life, improved taste and lessened throat irritation.