Blotting technology could be used in new cholesterol-lowering foods
casings maker Devro to develop new cholesterol-lowering foods based
on its patented cellulose technology.
The 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.
"At the end of a three-month study on mice, it became clear that there was a significant reduction in total cholesterol and an improved HDL/LDL ratio," Donal O'Brien, chief operating officer at Alltracel, told NutraIngredients.com.
The ingredient is thought to break down into compounds, hyaluronic acid and glucaronic acid, that act as free radical scavengers in the bloodstream.
A further animal study found a reduction of arterial plaque formation. The company is now carrying out a clinial trial, involving 120 patients at centres in the Czech Republic and Ireland. Patients will take 2.5 grams of the cellulose product in a suitable foodstuff for 30 days, followed by a maintentance diet.
But the new deal with Devro means the company can already begin investigating how to add the microcellulose to foods.
Scotland-based Devro, the world's leading supplier of collagen for food products, already has a joint venture company, BFM Ltd, that makes edible fast-dissolving films, such as those being used in breath freshener products.
Graeme Alexander, chief executive officer of Devro, said that these films could also deliver the m-doc technology directly into foods or be used to coat products like beefburgers.
"The collagen would act as a highway for delivery of the technology into anything that would take a film type substance," he said. "And as it is edible it could also be used to coat something like a burger."
Alltracel adds that the patented manufacture of its m-doc ingredient, a cotton derivative, is cost-effective and importantly, results in a microdispersed powder.
"This means we can put it into a variety of delivery systems and makes it very versatile to use," said O'Brien.New product development is at least 18 months away and pending clinical trial results. But if the trial confirms animal findings, they could open the way to a large, growing market.
Plant sterol ingredients, demonstrated to lower cholesterol significantly when added to foods, are already worth around $75 million in Europe alone, with a forecast compound annual growth rate of 15 per cent over coming years, according to Frost & Sullivan.
Preliminary results from the human trial are expected at the end of the year.
