Nutritional science for mind health products
DSM Nutritional Products
The company is likely to announce its first deals in the Asian market, said company president and marketing manager Noel Toolan, as talks are moving quickly in this region. But there are agreements in place in Europe and the US too.
"We have agreements and discussions in place with ingredients, functional food, non-functional food and pharmaceutical players," he told NutraIngredients.com.
Alltracel's novel technology, called m-doc, or microdispersed oxidized cellulose, has already been used in commercially available woundcare products, as it has been found form a film over cuts, stopping bleeding rapidly. But the cellulose particles have also been shown to lower LDL cholesterol levels in animal studies.
It is currently carrying out clinical trials to demonstrate the benefits to humans. If they are confirmed, the cellulose could be added to food products -both mainstream and functional - to help reduce cholesterol levels.
In a trading update yesterday, Alltracel said that it was focusing in the final quarter on "selecting an Asian major functional food development partner".
Toolan says the focus on Asia is being driven by the high interest in functional foods as well as the group's image in those markets. The company already has manufacturing facilities in Shenzhen in China and has recently reached a development agreement with the country's largest woundcare company, Yunnan Baiyao Group, for the use of its 'stops bleeding' technology in China and other markets.
"I have a feeling that Asia will move faster than the rest of the world. Our profile in Asia is quite high because we are a western publicly listed company, working with lots of brands and already in deals in this market. Also on the regulatory side, it is easier to get to market," explained Toolan.
He added that the traditional use of natural products in Asia also helps to sell the product.
"In China and Japan, once people understood our science, and that the product is based on natural cotton, they were interested."
The company will announce new results from its clinical trial programme in the coming weeks, expected to generate further interest.
The interest from Asia is also sparking ideas about novel delivery forms.
"We're looking at some absolutely off the wall ways of going to market too," added Toolan, pointing to the range of functional drinks and other products available in Japan.
"We're certainly considering all options," he said.
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