Dispatches from HIE 2010

Cognis focuses on soft health claims for plant extracts

24-Nov-2010 - Last updated on 24-Nov-2010 at 14:54 GMT

Acerola: Cognis says soft health claims will do for extracts from this evergreen

Cognis says it is following a “dual pillar” approach to product marketing that involves stressing market awareness of health benefits for some ingredients such as plant extracts, rather than investing in EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) submissions.

The firm presented pomegranate and acerola-based fruit powders in a lemon-flavoured water at HIE Madrid 2010 that extend its Plantalin plant extract range, and EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) junior marketing manager Andreas Bais told NutraIngredients.com why the firm was investing in superfruits.

“Acerola is high in Vitamin C, and we also see the superfruit trend in the marketplace, while pomegranate is high in unique antioxidants,” he said.“We have exclusivity for these unique antioxidants and it’s the perfect line extensions for our existing Plantalins.”

Cognis says that its acerola (the fruit of West Indian shrub malphighia glabra)powder is light yellow, contains around 1 to 4.5 per cent Vitamin C (where peeled oranges contain only around 0.05 per cent), is solvent-free, and soluble in aqueous media at ambient temperatures.

Where functional benefits go, the firm cites a study by Hanamura T. et al (2008) in Bioscience, Biotechnology and Biochemistry to bolster claims that Vitamin C strengthens the immune system, builds collagen cells, supports the respiratory system and has antioxidant effects.

Market awareness crucial

But given the current tough regulatory climate, Bais said Cognis was taking a “dual pillar” approach to product development and marketing, since he is “sure you will not get any [generic] 13.1 health claims for plant extracts [accepted by EFSA] at the moment”.

Consequently, he said that Cognis had conducted extensive market research and is instead stressing “market awareness” for the acerola extract’s advantages, since “as with omega-3 and ginseng it is not sold as having a strong health claim – it is sold because of awareness”.

Emotional perception was also crucial, he added. “We are working with concepts of ‘natural’, ‘sustainable’, although all these extracts have science behind them in terms of effects, so we do have references.”

Despite the need for marketing savvy, Bais insisted that Cognis has a “strong health claims” pillar within the business where positive EFSA health claim opinions remain crucial for products such as its Vegapure plant sterol range for cholesterol lowering and weight management ingredient Tonalin CLA (conjugated linoleic acid).

This statement reflects Cognis’ €10m investment in 2009 to build a new production facility for plant sterol esters in IIIertissen, Germany, which extended its existing Global Competence Centre for nutrition and health on the same site.

Beverage and dairy demand

Bais said that within EMEA Cognis was seeing most demand for its acerola fruit powder “in functional beverages, clear-water beverages and also dairy. We are able to put it into a lot of matrices – having tested it using different application, powder formats, etc.

“I would say that due to growth rates, future opportunities, usage and awareness these two are the main applications and delivery forms within the region.”

Cognis also mention confectionery as a potential market, and Bais also stressed potential within chewing gum, and premium lines in particular. “When you think of some of Orbit or Wrigley’s gum that now contains things like lemon balm, for instance, this could also fit, and is positive from our viewpoint.”

Cognis’ Plantalin range comprises six water-soluble plant extract powders that include acerola, pomegranate, aloe vera, lemon balm and ginseng.

2 comments

Raise awareness of the science to consumers is critical

Posted by Dr John Wilkinson, 25 November 2010 - 12:53 GMT

One way forward is to educate the consumer about the science behind the claims. If consumers understand these, then “weaker” or “new” and “innovative” claims could have a chance of survival. EFSA justifies the science but the EU commission has the last say in whether consumers understand the claim or not. Therefore, not unsurprisingly, some of my clients are challenging health claims decisions at the EU commission. Cognis is correct about raising awareness, partly for the above reasons. The internet is also a fantastic way of raising awareness, without breaking EU law on advertising / health claims. For example, millions of people are now viewing youtube videos on their mobile phones – this is such an opportunity for raising awareness of the health benefits in a cost effective way (e.g., search for Dr Wilkinson, food supplements on youtube – I have not broken the law in what I say on this video, because it is for educational purposes and is raising awareness rather than selling a particular product).

We should also construct our own consumer panels and publish the research showing that the general public understands the claims we are making; this would add alot of weight to the health claims submitted (in particular, at the EU commission end of the decision making process). Facebook could be used to construct “virtual consumer panels”. Also if a product works in only 60% of cases, then I want to see the Industry trying to get 60% claims through- these are not medicines but have nutritional and health benefits - it should be possible to get them, but we need strong and convincing “proof of persuasion” arguments. When I set about getting novel foods approval in the EU 2006, submitting a dossier with only “history of use” data for the African Baobab fruit pulp, (rather than submitting a conventional toxicological package costing on average 6 million pounds that previous applications for approval had contained), people said it couldn’t be done – well we succeeded in getting approval in 27 EU member states, but it took imagination, guts, innovation, time and money. If we can find innovative solutions that work for health claims, the regulators will have to (and will want to) agree. We don’t have to accept the current climate and approach to getting health claims approved according to EFSA, but we do have to find imaginative solutions to replace them ourselves. Health food shops and supermarkets full up with health products with no claims on them will be uninspiring, and lead to lower sales. Don’t give up there is everything to play for.

Director, Herbal sciences international Ltd, UK Regulatory consultants to the nutraceutical industry

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Fully agree!

Posted by Jan van Iperen, 24 November 2010 - 13:03 GMT

I can understand the trouble the EFSA needs to go through in order to review all kinds of vague health claims. On the other hand, there are products like acerola that - by nature - offer (as has been proven in many detailed researches) added value that justify the claims.

Cognis' approach is a display of trust that the applied fruits indeed will do all claims justice and this indeed will contribute to better consumer awareness in regard of these super fruits.