Calocurb Ltd and the Riddet Institute are excited to announce they have received support from the High-Value Nutrition National Science Challenge for a joint project under its existing Science of Food Enabling Programme. The project will focus on transforming the existing active ingredient in Calocurb Amarasate™ into a functional food ingredient that can be added to specific food products without affecting the activity of the Amarasate™ or taste of the food.
Amarasate™ has been previously proven to reduce hunger in clinical trials, demonstrating its potential for use in weight management. This new science will leverage the world-leading expertise the Riddet Institute has in the encapsulation and delivery of bioactive compounds and their incorporation into functional food formulations. The global weight management market continues to grow driven by increasing obesity rates and metabolic health issues, such as type 2 diabetes, in developed countries. However, this growth has been driven by functional foods which are seen as more convenient and easier to incorporate in everyday life versus supplements.
The project is planned to take 18 months from a start date in early 2022. Calocurb Ltd is a New Zealand-owned health and wellbeing company specialising in clinically proven appetite and weight management products. It currently sells in New Zealand, Australia and the USA and continues to register its products in key international markets. The Riddet Institute is a world-best centre for fundamental and strategic scientific research in food.
‘One of the main challenges towards the consumption of the current Amarasate® ingredient in a food format is the undesirable bitterness of its bioactive compounds. Such compounds can interact with others in the food matrix, which not only affects the bio-efficacy of Amarasate® but also changes various properties of the food. We’re excited about this funding opportunity and the scientific challenge to deliver a novel functional food ingredient that can retain the activity of Amarasate™ without negatively affecting taste of the food’, says Dr Ali Rashidinejad, the project lead at the Riddet Institute.