Beyond color & flavor: Akay introduces Spiceuticals range for functional foods

21-Feb-2013 - Last updated on 21-Feb-2013 at 14:02 GMT

India’s Akay Group believes it has made a “breakthrough with spices” and it tries to move the ingredients beyond flavor and color into health and wellness.

Gopi Menon, chief scientific advisor for Akay USA LLC told us: “We want to showcase spices as more than just flavor or color, and with our in-vitro, in-vivo and clinicals (where possible/economical) what we have shown in the five new products is ground breaking.”

Using patent-pending technology the company has developed a blend of functional spice ingredients called ‘Spiceuticals’, including a curcumin-fenugreek blend, de-coumarinated cinnamon with procyanidins, capsaicinoids, a clove extract, and a gingerol extract.

The ingredients, which are patent-pending and trademarked, said Menon, can be used in a range of food applications, from beverages and bars to nutrition supplements.

According to the company, the ingredients are made from traceable supply-chain sources either grown on Akay’s farm in Cambodia or sourced with traceability and authenticity. The extracts are deodorized, non-spicy, water-soluble, standardized, and GRAS (generally recognized as safe).

The ingredients

The curcumin-fenugreek blend is branded CurQfen, and is a “unique formulation of curcuminiods from turmeric along with galactomannans from fenugreek to enhance bioavailability”, said the company. The ingredient is formulated for slow release in the colon/intestine.

The de-coumarinated cinnamon with procyanidins ingredient, branded procynCi, is described as a “novel class of cinnamon extract enriched with type A & B Procyanidin oligomers”.

The capsaicinoid ingredient, Capsifen, is positioned for the weight management market and is claimed to enhance fat metabolism. The sugar-free 100% vegan beadlets of capsaicinoids are safe for intestinal delivery and better absorption, said Akay.

Clovinol – an ‘innovative’ bioavailable antioxidant from clove is position for the oral health market. It may also support liver health, said the company.

The fifth ingredient in the range is Ginginoll, described as a “highly potent anti-inflammatory 6-gingerol extract that may help inflammation, cardiovascular health, immune health, joint health and digestive health”.

What next?

Menon told is that the company is having initial discussions with US finished product manufacturers, but couldn’t predict when a product containing the ingredients will be launched.

“It depends on interest by consumers,” he said.