EU Rosemary Extract Approval as an Antioxidant Welcomed

Naturex sees major opportunities for food preservation within Europe, positioning StabilEnhance OSR rosemary extracts in the market as a safe, effective and natural alternative to synthetic antioxidants.

Nov 3 2010 --- Rosemary extracts are now adopted formally into the EU food additive legislation. It allows food companies to use the label “antioxidant: rosemary extract”, thus helping to fulfil the growing consumer demand for natural food products, free of chemical additives. Thanks to this regulatory update, the rosemary extracts market will be propelled to a new dimension in Europe.

This approval is a major step for the European rosemary extracts market since it will considerably expand business opportunities. It will definitely boost further the demand for rosemary extracts as major food companies were waiting for clarification on their regulatory status and the final EU-approval to use rosemary extracts in their products. Naturex sees major opportunities for food preservation within Europe, positioning StabilEnhance OSR rosemary extracts in the market as a safe, effective and natural alternative to synthetic antioxidants.

Naturex initiated the registration process of rosemary extracts as EU-approved food antioxidants in 1996. Naturex invested in toxicological studies and supported the whole procedure in collaboration with two other producers, namely Raps and Robertet, bringing together the E.R.E.M.G. (European Rosemary Extracts Manufacturers Group). This approval celebrates the efforts spent by this group. As a result, the four methods of production of rosemary extracts listed in the Directive 2010/67/EU, as well as the purity criteria, are based on the processes developed and used by the members of the E.R.E.M.G.. 

The antioxidant activity of rosemary extracts is consistent with their content in carnosic acid and carnosol, the major oil-soluble antioxidant compounds in rosemary leaves. Per Directive 2010/69/EU, it is the ingoing dosage of total carnosic acid plus carnosol which has to be considered rather than the dosage of the whole rosemary extract. This implies knowing the level of active compounds within the rosemary extracts. This requirement was anticipated by Naturex a long time ago. As the market leader, Naturex owns the required expertise and means to help the food industry to best benefit from the new opportunities offered by this regulatory update.