RedLeaf Biologics is looking to take its red sorghum extract, ReDaxin, into new markets after securing a manufacturing agreement and advancing research into its potential applications.
The U.S.-based company, which won NutraIngredients’ Start-Up Stars competition at the 2025 Sports & Active Nutrition Summit (SANS), has partnered with an unnamed global color company to bring its sorghum extracts into natural colors.
The agreement also gives RedLeaf access to industrial-scale manufacturing capacity for ReDaxin, a proprietary extract from a novel, non-GMO red sorghum variety.
For a startup that has managed everything from crop development and farming to extraction, clinical trials and sales, the partnership could help ease some of the pressures of growth.
“We’ve learned that strategic partnerships are essential to scaling without losing focus on what makes us unique,” Dr. Jordan Raphel, director of clinical and product development at RedLeaf Biologics told NutraIngredients.
Research moves forward
When Dr. Raphel presented at SANS last year, RedLeaf’s first human clinical study had just been accepted for publication.
The study, published in July 2025, reported significant improvements in muscle strength recovery following exercise, according to Raphel.
Since then, the company has completed a canine safety and tolerability study with collaborators from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the University of Illinois and Kansas State University. The findings are now under peer review.
RedLeaf is also planning further human trials to explore ReDaxin’s mechanisms of action, particularly those involving oxidative stress, inflammation and recovery.
The research has attracted interest from potential partners, with the company now in late-stage discussions over support for current and future studies.
Finding room to grow
Getting an unfamiliar ingredient in front of potential customers has been one of RedLeaf’s biggest hurdles.
“One of our biggest challenges has simply been letting brands know that we exist!” Dr. Raphel said.
“When you’re introducing something genuinely new like ReDaxin, customers aren’t necessarily looking for it because they don’t know it’s out there yet. That’s both a challenge and an opportunity.”
Alongside increasing production, RedLeaf is looking beyond its initial focus on sports nutrition.
Healthy and active aging is one area of interest, with the company planning studies to investigate whether ReDaxin could offer benefits relevant to maintaining strength and physical health later in life.
Pet supplements are another possibility following the canine study, while RedLeaf is working with partners to explore international markets after concentrating largely on the United States.
Dr. Raphel also said customers were preparing to launch products containing ReDaxin, although further details have yet to be announced.
Seven minutes in the spotlight
According to Dr. Raphel, one lasting benefit of Start-Up Stars was the chance to explain RedLeaf’s work to an audience that might otherwise have been difficult to reach.
“What we’re doing at RedLeaf isn’t simply an improved version of an ingredient people already know about,” he said. “We’re bringing something entirely new to the market, from a novel crop variety to a new branded ingredient with its own scientific story.”
With a small team and limited marketing resources, getting that story heard has taken time.
“Having seven minutes on stage to tell that story to some of the key decision-makers in the industry was an extraordinary opportunity,” Dr. Raphel said.
He recalled the audience applauding when he announced that RedLeaf’s first clinical paper had been accepted for publication, a moment he said had stayed with him.
The company has since continued conversations with contacts made through the competition, reconnecting with some at IFT and SupplySide Global. Dr. Raphel said the exposure also led to ongoing partnership and product development discussions.
For startups considering entering this year’s competition, his advice was straightforward: “Do it!”
Have an innovation that could impact the sports and active nutrition market? Now is the time to put your business forward.
