Mibelle Biochemistry’s rare anti-aging apple ingredient receives EFSA food approval

03 Aug 2023 --- Swiss ingredient manufacturer Mibelle Biochemistry has received European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) approval for an apple fruit cell culture biomass, PhytoCellTech Md Nu, a novel food ingredient which can be used as food supplements for anti-aging benefits. 

“Several cosmetic ingredient manufacturers already use the technology, whereas Mibelle Biochemistry established using this technology on an industrial scale,” Dr. Torsten Grothe, head of Food & Health at Mibelle, tells Food Ingredients First.

“For nutritional or supplemental applications, it is quite a new technology. Maybe such technologies will be used more frequently, as they offer the opportunity to produce biomass from rare or endangered species or varieties. It is exciting to see what skin anti-aging effects we can achieve,” says Grothe.

Endangered species
The Uttwiler Spätlauber Swiss apple variety was chosen due to its storage capabilities. Throughout winter, the company notes that the skin of the apples don’t shrivel, which is common for other apple types. The apple species may have anti-aging and longevity factors, which could explain its storage capabilities.

Apple cells from Uttwiler Spätlauber (Image credit: Mibelle Biochemistry).“This apple could be stored for several months without the peel shrinking. Even after snowfall, this apple remains fresh on trees. It seems that this apple variety has some specific effects delaying aging of the fruits compared to other, commercially used apple varieties,” details Grothe.

The Uttwiler Spätlauber trees are on the preservation list of the Swiss foundation ProSpecieRara. It is classified as an endangered plant species, according to the Swiss National Action Plan for the Conservation of Plant Genetic Resources in Food and Agriculture.

“Unfortunately, not enough apple trees exist and are maintained to secure an annual high-yield fruit harvest to produce a common fruit extract. For this reason, we used the PhytoCellTec technology to produce biomass derived from callus cell culture,” continues Grothe.

“Only a little piece of apple is required to establish such a cell culture. That sounds easy, but it took several years to establish a stable production cell line commercially.”

Ingredient and technology
The PhytoCellTec Md Nu ingredient uses the characteristics of the apple variety. However, the company stresses the limited availability of these apples.

The technology called PhytoCellTec allows the production of larger quantities of high-quality biomass using only one tiny piece of apple.

Mibelle notes that the water-soluble product will be available in the European markets soon and is an addition to the existing beauty and anti-aging portfolio of Mibelle Biochemistry. It allows new anti-aging and skin beauty approaches, “which is different from the established ingredients such as collagen peptides, polyphenols and vitamins.”

“We are still investigating the secrets of the anti-aging effects. Due to the absence of polyphenols, phenolic acids or other antioxidant-activity components, alternative mechanisms appear to be involved,” explains Grothe. PhytoCellTec allows the production of larger quantities of high-quality biomass using only one tiny piece of apple (Image credit: Mibelle Biochemistry).

“Signaling molecules like proteins, peptides or non-coding RNA’s targets our interest in that respect. We are at the beginning of the research. Still, first cellular studies indicate that our product might enhance the vitality of skin cells which could lead to improved skin parameters like skin density and firmness.”

EFSA approval
EFSA explains that the cells have been sourced from the callus grown on a piece of apple placed on a solid medium under sterile conditions. 

“The de‐differentiated apple cells are then cultivated in a liquid medium. The medium contains sucrose, vitamins, minerals, trace elements and the two synthetic plant hormone analogs, benzylaminopurine and 2,4‐dichlorophenoxyacetic acid,” says the authority.

Grothe details that the major components of the cell-culture-derived apple biomass are carbohydrates, including polysaccharides and proteins. 

The protein profile of the cell-culture-derived material shows some differences compared to ripe apples. In contrast to apple fruit, polyphenols and phenolic acids are only present in traces. 

Other components are ash and fatty and organic acids. The hormones of the plant and its pesticide levels have been claimed safe under the regulation of US pesticide legislation, notes the EFSA.

By Beatrice Wihlander