Formulas For Success is a monthly educational series from our leading formulation experts that covers the basics and fundamentals of trends in product formulation. Each time we’ll be featuring an emerging ingredient or combination of ingredients and sharing the key tips you’ll need to discover your own formula for success.
The Inositol Molecule
Inositol is often referred to as vitamin B8, but it isn’t actually a vitamin at all since it can be produced by our bodies from glucose. It is found naturally in foods like cantaloupes, citrus fruits, corn, rice, and beans. As a functional ingredient, inositol is most commonly added in product applications such as infant formulas, energy drinks, animal feed, cosmetics, and supplements.
Properties of Inositol
Inositol is a sugar alcohol that is about 48% as sweet as sugar and possesses a similar flavor profile. It can easily be added to most food and beverage products since it has a clean taste at most common usage levels. It is easily soluble in water and is relatively stable in heat as well as acidic or alkaline conditions. While there isn’t a Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA), most sources suggest consuming 100 – 1000mg per day. For treatments of certain conditions, 1 – 12g may be needed. However, usages above 12g may exhibit side effects such as nausea, aches, tiredness, and dizziness.
Product Applications For Inositol
Infant Formulas
As breast milk is naturally rich in inositol, manufacturers of infant formulas may be interested in adding inositol into their products to promote metabolism or hair growth, and to help babies sleep. In formulation, 22mg or 100kcal could be utilized, which is the average amount found in breast milk.
Energy Drinks
Many popular energy drinks contain inositol, as it not only aids the nervous system, providing structure to cells, but also helps modulate serotonin levels. Serotonin is a key hormone that stabilizes our mood, feelings, and happiness. Some studies show that inositol may prevent neutral fat accumulation, helping the body to burn fat. Inositol is a key ingredient in our PQx™ Prevail sports performance beverage at 300mg/serving.
Animal Feed
Inositol may be safely used in feed or pet food as it may help in regulating metabolism and improve fur/hair growth. Aquatic creatures, birds, cattle, and dogs may benefit from this ingredient. Typical usage levels are 250 – 3000mg/kg.
Cosmetics
Inositol, also known as rice water in some beauty products, may have water-binding properties for skin and hair. It may also help maintain healthy cell membranes. As the first chart below shows, inositol at a concentration of 1% is a cost-effective use level for moisturizing skin. At 1%, inositol has been shown to have the best effect after 2 – 3 weeks of continuous usage, as illustrated in the second chart below.
Average Skin Moisturization Results from Use of Inositol in Skin Lotion (Moisturization by Inositol Concentration Amount and by Usage Duration)
Supplements
There is some evidence that inositol may have benefits when taken as a supplement. It can affect the neurotransmitters in your brain, including serotonin, and may be beneficial for treating anxiety and panic disorders. It may also aid blood sugar control by improving insulin sensitivity. And it may improve fertility in women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) by assisting in balancing hormones. Inositol may also reduce symptoms of depression. Typical usage levels for treatments are 2 – 18g or lower levels for supplementation. As with any supplement, we encourage consumers to check with a medical professional to further understand the potential health benefits before treating with inositol.
Inositol Hexanicotinate
The Inositol Hexanicotinate Molecule
A similar product we produce is inositol hexanicotinate, also known as inositol hexaniacinate, inositol nicotinate, and inositol niacinate. The body converts these ingredients to inositol and free nicotinic acid so it produces a slightly sweet taste. It may be used as a source of Niacin (Vitamin B3) or used to widen blood vessels and increase blood flow. At 3g/day, it may improve blood circulation for people with Raynaud’s Syndrome — those who suffer from pain in their fingers and toes when cold due to poor blood circulation. In Europe, it is sold as the drug Hexopal.
No. 1 Global Manufacturer of Inositol
Inositol is a core ingredient of our health supplements and cellular nutrition portfolio. Nascent Heath Sciences is the world’s largest and leading supplier of inositol. Our inositol is extracted from only non-GMO corn, making it an ideal choice for clean-label product applications.
Ready to create your own formula for success? Partner with the world’s largest manufacturer of inositol and learn more about formulating in new applications with inositol. Contact one of our expert consultants for your product development and formulation needs!
Formulas For Success is a monthly educational series from our leading formulation experts that covers the basics and fundamentals of trends in product formulation. Each time we’ll be featuring an emerging ingredient or combination of ingredients and sharing the key tips you’ll need to discover your own formula for success.
In our last edition, we illustrated how to achieve sugar reduction in bars using our original formula for a granola crisp bar as an example. Although the formula showcased a variety of sweetening solutions, it can also serve as a great demonstration of how to boost the health and nutritional value of food & snack products with the functional ingredient Vitamin E.
What Are The Benefits of Vitamin E?
Vitamin E is a nutrient that’s important to vision, reproduction, and the health of your blood, brain, and skin. The key to these benefits of Vitamin E is its powerful antioxidant properties. The process of oxidation and accelerated aging takes place in our bodies when cells are exposed to molecules called free radicals. Although free radicals form as a result of normal body processes, they can weaken and break down healthy cells. These molecules cause damage that shortens the life of our cells and may contribute to heart disease and cancer. The antioxidant Vitamin E may help reduce free radical damage and slow the aging process of cells. To take advantage of these benefits, the recommended daily dosage of vitamin E for adults is 15 milligrams a day.
Crystal E® Natural Vitamin E Powder
As a part of Nascent’s portfolio of health supplements and cellular nutrition ingredients, Crystal E® Vitamin E Powder is our brand of natural Vitamin E for manufacturers of food & nutrition products. Crystal E® is stable, readily bio-available, has good flowability, and preserves vitamin E’s original form as α-tocopherol (based on the FDA’s updates to the new supplement facts panel in the US, Vitamin E is now required to be labeled as α-tocopherol).
Crystal E® is co-crystallized to a stable, crystalline powder without any chemical modifications or an encapsulation process. It is available in its original form from a natural source (d-α-tocopherol ) by way of our patented production process. The current acetate form produced by esterification destroys its natural properties, making it less bio-available and reduces its antioxidant capabilities. Microencapsulation typically uses gelatin, an animal-based ingredient, but a plant-based starch form is also available at a higher cost.
Typical Vitamin E oil decomposes by roughly 22% over 4 weeks when stored at an accelerated temperature of 60˚C, whereas our co-crystalized product stays stable. Crystal E® was also shown to be much more stable when mixed with minerals or exposed to light. Minerals typically accelerate the decomposition of vitamins.
In a tablet or pill application, Crystal E® only needs 26% of the mass compared to synthetic α-tocopherol acetate powder (50%) due to its higher concentration of α-tocopherol. The higher concentration also has environmental and sustainability benefits because it doesn’t consume acetate anhydrate or silicone dioxide in the production process, and generates savings on packaging, shipping, storage, and production equipment costs.
Comparing the Cost of Crystal E® vs. Other Commercial Vitamin E Products
Here is a general cost comparison to the most common Vitamin E types on the market, including natural, semi-synthetic, and synthetic forms of Vitamin E.
Type
Product Name
Form
% of D-a Tocopherol
1.0kg D-a-TE
Cost per kg
Cost for D-a-TE
Pure Natural
D-α-tocopherol
Unstable Oil
100%
1
$95 per kg
$0.095 per gram
Pure Natural
Natural Crystal E®
Powder
85%
1.18
$110 per kg
$0.129 per gram
Semi-Synthetic
D-α-tocopherol acetate
Powder
45%
2.22
$60 per kg
$0.133 per gram
Semi-Synthetic
D-α-tocopherol succinate
Powder
81%
1.23
$70 per kg
$0.086 per gram
Synthetic
Vitamin E 50% Starch-based, No SiO2 or gelatin
Powder
22%
4.55
$30 per kg
$0.135 per gram
Synthetic
Vitamin E 50% SiO2-based
Powder
22%
4.55
$33 per kg
$0.148 per gram
Synthetic
Vitamin E 50% Gelatin based (animal sourced with Al SiO2)
Powder
22%
4.55
$11 per kg
$0.05 per gram
For a 90 count 15mg dosage product, the cost of Natural Crystal E® equates to $0.17 per bottle.
Ready to create your own formula for success? If you’re interested in learning more about formulating with Crystal E® Vitamin E Powder, contact one of our expert consultants for your product development and formulation needs!
Formulas For Success is a monthly educational series from our leading formulation experts that covers the basics and fundamentals of trends in product formulation. Each month, we’ll be featuring an emerging ingredient or combination of ingredients and sharing the key tips you’ll need to discover your own formula for success.
If you’re not familiar with the essential nutrient PQQ, then you’re not alone. PQQ, or Pyrroloquinoline Quinone, is a rapidly emerging dietary ingredient which is found in nature in nano quantities, and is an essential micronutrient in living organisms. PQQ can be found in the cells of our bodies, where it protects and restores mitochondria for optimal cellular energy (ATP) production. It is a powerful antioxidant and stimulates growth and replication of the mitochondria. It also restores your nerve cells and nerve endings by enhancing the production of Nerve Growth Factor. These important roles that PQQ plays in cellular health and nutrition make it a necessary supplement for supporting a healthy brain and heart.
Formulating with PQQ
PQQ (Pyrroloquinoline Quinone) is available in 2 forms:
PQQ Disodium Salt – a water dispersible, reddish-brown, free-flowing powder
PQQ Acid – an oil soluble, reddish-brown, free flowing powder
PQQ Disodium Salt is very stable, has a 3 year shelf life, and can easily be incorporated into powdered drink mixes, tablets, capsules, chewables, effervescent tablets, candy, and gummies. PQQ Acid can be incorporated into oil based products like chocolates, softgels, and tinctures. PQQ Acid can also be emulsified for incorporation into ready-to-drink beverages and other water based foods and beverages.
The recommended dosage for PQQ is 10 – 20mg per day. At this level, its slightly earthy taste can easily be masked in foods and beverages. Currently PQQ is available in the market as a stand alone dietary supplement, or in combination with synergistic ingredients like CoQ10. It is also available in powdered drink mixes and ready-to-drink beverages for sports nutrition.
PQQ vs. COQ10
While PQQ may not be widely known, you’re likely familiar with its “cousin” ingredient CoQ10. But is PQQ a replacement for CoQ10? No!
PQQ and CoQ10 work side by side in the cells. In fact, you need both for maximum cellular energy production. They are powerful antioxidants, functioning independently, and have separate, unique functions which make them both essential. The difference is that while the body produces CoQ10, you must obtain PQQ from your diet. So for many consumers, supplementing with PQQ is even more important.
The benefits of PQQ in boosting short term memory are even more pronounced when paired with CoQ10
PQQ Formulation Example
Bars make for ideal product applications for energy ingredients. Adding PQQ into an energy bar is a great and delicious way to ensure consumption of the daily recommended PQQ. Adding a small amount to the bar does not affect the binding ability, taste, appearance, or shelf life. In the sample formulation below for an energy nut bar, our patented Vitamin E, which preserves the original α-tocopherol form for increased bioavailability, was added as a natural preservative for the oils in the bar. To keep the bar packed with energy but also healthy, SoPure Stevia Reb A and IMO syrup was applied to reduce the added sugar contents. All ingredients were blended with the hot binder in a mixer and rolled into a slab. A chocolate drizzle was added on top to provide an indulgent, tasty treat. This product was displayed at Supply Side West and met with wonderful feedback.
PQQ Formulation Solutions
Nascent Health Sciences supplies both PQQ Disodium Salt and PQQ Acid as stand-alone bulk ingredients which can easily be incorporated into a variety of applications. Nascent’s products are FDA Affirmed GRAS for food and beverage products.
Need the recipe for the energy nut bar? Or ready to create your own formula for success? If you’re interested in learning more about formulating with PQQ, contact one of our expert consultants for your product development and formulation needs!
Inositol is a Beneficial Food Additive for Many Reasons
When it comes to the world of food additives, people can be a little wary. Everyone has experienced that sense of bewilderment when they look at the nutritional facts of an item only to see that half of the ingredients seem to be substances that are six syllables long and sound like they come from an alien language. However, once people take the time to look into the items that they are ingesting, often times they will find that supplements that once seemed intimidating in nature are actually proven to be rather beneficial when added to foods that we eat. Here at Nascent Health, we strive to be as transparent as possible with the food additives that we produce. We design our additives to be as beneficial as possible to the consumer and, in today’s post, we are going to go over one of our food additives that we feel brings more to the table than people may realize: Inositol. Continue reading below to learn more.
What is Inositol?
Inositol is a pseudovitamin that is often compared members of the vitamin B complex. Inositol is found in many foods, particularly in fruit such as cantaloupe and oranges. Inositol has been shown to benefit humans’ bodies in many different ways and has been shown to help transport fat through the body and aid the neurons of the central nervous system. Below, we have listed a few more of the health benefits associated with inositol.
Lower Cholesterol: One of the most beneficial effects of inositol on the human body is the fact that it helps to lower cholesterol. It accomplishes this feat by combining with choline, an essential nutrient found in the body, to produce lecithin. Lecithin is essential for the task of breaking down fats within the human body and helps to prevent fat buildups in the cell walls of the heart’s, arteries, and the brain. In layman’s terms, inositol helps to reduce the overall amount of fat in the body. With less fat in the bloodstream, cholesterol tends to fall also.
Hair Health: Few parts of the human body get fussed over as much as hair. When you really start to think about it, the amount of time, money, and energy that the average person puts into the upkeep of their hair is quite remarkable. While there are thousands of products available that claim to increase the health of your hair or promise to make your hair as lustrous as possible, far fewer can actually deliver the results that they promise. Inositol, however, is one substance that has been shown time and time again to help increase the health of hair. Because inositol is so closely related to the vitamin B family, it has been shown to increase the strength of hair and helps hair to grow faster.
Help With Diabetes: As we touched upon earlier, inositol has been shown to have a positive impact on the body of cells. While this has shown to help cholesterol levels, recent studies have shown that inositol may also help people suffering from diabetic neuropathy, a nerve disease and one of the most common complications associated with diabetes. Considering that most of the decreased nerve function is caused by a loss of inositol in the cell, increasing the amount of inositol that is consumed can help to restore these cells to a healthier state. While the supplement will not cure diabetic neuropathy, it can help to abate the symptoms when used in conjunction with other therapy methods.
Stabilize Mood: Most recently, promising results surrounding inositol and the treatment of depression have been making waves in the medical community. It has been shown that individuals that have low levels of inositol in the body are less likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder. It is thought that inositol helps people with their mental health because it helps in the production of serotonin.
We hope that this short blog post has shown all of our readers exactly how important inositol can be as a food additive. If you would like to learn more about our pure inositol or any of the other food additive products that we offer, please visit our website today. At Nascent Health, we are dedicated to providing the best products possible and we are certain that once you experience the quality of our products you will never want to go with another food additive supplier again.
Pyrroloquinoline Quinone is an Important Micronutrient
Here at Nascent Health, we realize that pyrroloquinoline quinone is not something that people think about all that often. In fact, we would be willing to be that the vast majority of people on this planet aren’t even aware that pyrroloquinoline quinone exists. While this is understandable, we still feel that it is our duty here at Nascent Health to educate as many people about the products that we offer. In today’s post, to shed some more light on the mysterious micronutrient know as pyrroloquinoline quinone, we are going to go over the history of PQQ and its applications in the modern world. We hope that by the end of this post all of our readers have a better understanding of what PQQ is, what it is used for, and why it is an excellent addition to any diet.
PQQ Was Discovered Relatively Recently
Discovered roughly 20 years ago by J. G. Hauge, pyrroloquinoline quinone is the third redox cofactor discovered by researchers in bacteria. Redox cofactors are an essential component of the metabolic process. While metabolism involves a wide range of chemical reactions, most fall under a few basic types of reactions that involve the transfer of functional groups (specific groups of atoms or bonds within a molecule that are responsible for the chemical reactions of those molecules). Through these chemical processes, cells within the body are able to use a small set of metabolic intermediates to transport chemical groups between different reactions. While this all might sound really intricate and scientific, basically it just means that PQQ is used within the body to activate cell signal pathways that are involved in cellular energy metabolism, helping the body effectively transport and use the energy from ingested food.
What Else Does Pyrroloquinoline Quinone Affect?
PQQ is important for a number of processes within cells, however, one effect that it has within the body is often considered more important than others. In a recent study, it was found that PQQ plays a critical role in the growth and development of mitochondria within the cell and helps to protect mitochondria from oxidative stress. With PPQ present, it was found that spontaneous mitochondrial biogenesis occurred within cells. Additionally, it has been found that PQQ is a neuroprotective compound that has been shown in initial studies to protect cognition and memory function in humans and mice. Research has shown that PQQ can reverse cognitive impairment caused by prolonged oxidative stress and help improve memory test performance. Pyrroloquinoline quinone accomplishes this by stimulating the production and release of nerve growth factors in cells that help to support neurons within the brain. This discovery has opened a whole new avenue of research in relation to PQQ and is currently being studied by researchers as a possible treatment for certain cases of brain damage.
What Does the Future Hold for PQQ?
Continuing in the same vein as the above paragraph, pyrroloquinoline quinone is currently being studied for any potential applications it may have in the treatment or reversal of certain types of brain damage. Specifically, PQQ has been shown to be able to prevent the self-oxidation of the DJ-1 protein, an early indicator of the onset of some forms of Parkinson’s disease. Additionally, PQQ has been shown to protect brain cells against oxidative damage that occurs following ischemia-reperfusion injuries or the damage that results from the sudden return of blood and nutrients to brain tissue after they have been deprived of them following a stroke. While research into PQQ is still in the early stages, these early results have shown that this micronutrient may one day play an important role in the treatment of stroke victims. We hope that this blog post has helped to shed some light on pyrroloquinoline quinone, its importance in metabolic processes, and the potential applications that it may have in the future treatment of brain injuries. At Nascent Health, we offer our own line of pyrroloquinoline quinone called PureQQ. Through our proprietary methods, we have developed a PQQ product that offers the highest purity of its kind and has been certified FDA GRAS for use in food and beverages. If you would like to learn more about our line of PQQ products please visit our website today. At Nascent Health we are dedicated to providing the highest-quality micronutrient extracts on the market and we are sure that once you experience the quality of our products you will see the difference that Nascent Health brings to the table.
Hello, and welcome to the first official Nascent Health blog! Here at Nascent Health, our mission is to deliver the highest quality food and drug supplements available to the food and beverage industry. The quality of food preservatives and additives deserves just as much attention as the quality of the food itself, and in today’s blog, we are going to be listing some facts about one of our key food additives: Pyrroloquinoline Quinone (PQQ). PQQ is a micronutrient added to a wide variety of foods and has been proven beneficial in many areas of human health. PQQ occurs naturally in many leafy greens and legumes, and is found in high concentrations in breast milk. To learn more about PQQ and its benefits, continue reading below.
PQQ Has Many Benefits For Those Who Ingest
PQQ is technically a cofactor, which simply means that it helps enzymes in the body accomplish their tasks more efficiently. This, in turn, helps with the transfer of electrons in the human body which can have a host of benefits relating to the production of energy. Below, we have listed just a few of the benefits that PQQ has for individuals.
PQQ Helps in the Production of Mitochondria: Pyrroloquinoline quinone, when present in a diet, is shown to help create new mitochondria which, we all know, are the powerhouse of the cell. Compounds that help with the creation of mitochondria are linked to increased, longevity, better utilization of energy, and helps to protect from free radicals found in the body.
PQQ Improves Memory: In tests, PQQ was shown to trigger the DNA reading protein CREB (CAMP responsive element binding protein 1), which has been shown to play a pivotal role in the growth and expression of genes. As a result, PQQ has been shown to improve memory and reverse the effects of oxidative stress, which has been shown to cause heart problems, disorders of the brain, and cancer.
PQQ is a Neuroprotective: In recent studies, PQQ has been shown to have neuroprotective properties that help in the protection of memory and cognition in older people. This is interesting because PQQ is currently being studied as a way to treat Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other brain ailments that typically affect the elderly.
PQQ Helps With Fatigue, Mood, and Sleep: Pyrroloquinoline quinine has been shown to help people fall asleep and to improve the quality of sleep that people experience. In one study, it was found that people who ingested 20mg PQQ for 8 weeks who had previous fatigue or sleep-impairing disorders, saw significant improvement in both sleep duration and quality.
PQQ Helps Decrease Insulin Resistance: Because of its effects on mitochondrial biogenesis, PQQ has been shown to alleviate fat-induced insulin resistance. It has this effect because increased mitochondrial growth in the muscles is perceived by the body as being akin to exercising.
PQQ Protects the Heart: PQQ has been shown in animal models to effectively reduce the size of damaged areas in the heart that developed as a result of a heart attack. It was found that this healing effect occurred whether or not it was administered before or after the heart attack, suggesting that it could be beneficial to treat recent heart sufferers within the first few hours after the attack with PQQ to help prevent permanent heart damage.
PQQ Improves Brain Function: Some studies have found that PQQ helps stimulate the production and release of nerve growth factors which, in turn, appears to improve the memory function of humans. PQQ was also found to help with production of Schwann cells which are responsible for the production of the myelin sheath around the axons of neurons.
PQQ Decreases Inflammation: It was found that people who took 20 mg of PQQ a day saw significant decreases in the levels of C-reactive protein and IL-6, a main cytokine related to inflammation when released by the immune cells of the body.
We hope that this blog has helped to give you more information about what PQQ is and why it is an important food supplement. Our PQQ supplement, PureQQ, offers the highest purity of its kind and is the only PQQ supplement that has been FDA GRAS approved for use in food and beverages. To learn more, visit our website today.
