CoreFX CEO talks convenient, healthy fats and ambitions to become a 'holistic nutrition and wellness company'

07-Nov-2019 - Last updated on 28-Sep-2021 at 13:53 GMT

CoreFX Ingredients -- a Chicago-based supplier of dry, stable functional powdered fats and oils -- is experiencing increased demand across it portfolio, especially for its plant-based offerings such as avocado, evening primrose, and Sacha Inchi oils.

Speaking to CEO Denis Neville, at the SupplySide West trade show in Las Vegas, Neville reiterated that fats aren't just 'back', but that healthy fats from recognizable sources are 'here to stay'. However, the fats and oils market is a much broader and diversified place than it was just a decade ago.

"Consumers are far more knowledgeable about what they’re putting in their bodies and what the positive effects are and the negative effects," Neville told FoodNavigator-USA.

"Consumers are driving the agenda more so than ever. What we need to do as food scientists and manufacturers and creators of these ingredients is educate so that the right information is there and that we do the hard work up front."

Ketogenic lifestyle drives demand for plant-based fats and oils

As the ketogenic lifestyle has gained popularity and become more mainstream with consumers, CoreFX has seen increased demand for its 95% grass-fed powdered butter ingredients, which function well in snacks, dry mixes, bakery products, and beverages.

Neville also noted the keto diet is driving demand for plant-based fats and oils as well, an area where the company has built a robust portfolio of ingredients including its NutriCore dry avocado oils.

Other in-demand plant-based fats and oils include vegan-friendly omega oil from algae, that like its fish oil counterpart contains significant levels of the long chain omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. The company's Sacha Inchi dry powdered oil was also highlighted at the show, and Neville believes the superseed from the Peruvian rainforest will be a hot ingredient, and that by selling it in a dry, powdered format brands and manufacturers can achieve nutritional potency and convenient formulation.

"We’re firm believers that convenience is king, not just for consumers, but also for manufacturers of the turn key finished solutions," Neville said. "In a powder format you get shelf life extension, and also because we’re microencapsulating, we’re basically creating microemulsions, the fat is able to absorb much quicker into the bloodstream and get to where it’s supposed to go."

'Taking apart triglycerides and fatty acids'

Neville added that CoreFX is also working on isolating different components of medium chain triglycerides (MCTS) to offer customers specific health properties via the faster absorbing, short-chain C6 caproic acid and C12 lauric acid.

"The other great thing about these triglycerides and fatty acids [is] when you break them apart, from a nutraceutical point of view or wellness point of view, they are actually clinically proven to combat Alzheimer’s and dementia," he claimed. "They’re clinically proven to have anti-inflammatory effects depending on which one you pick apart," said Neville.

Evolution into holistic nutrition and wellness company

CoreFX, which has been in business for three years now, sees itself evolving into a holistic nutrition and wellness company providing turnkey solutions for the food, beverage, and nutraceutical industries.

"I think as we evolve we’re going more down the road of the nutraceutical platforms and health and wellness and thinking more about that. I think that’s going to become very important through this generation and beyond," Neville said.