KitoZyme will be present at the international nutraceutical trade show Vitafoods Europe in Geneva, 22-24 May 2012

Visit our booth 1264 (Hall 1) to discover our medical device for weight & cholesterol management but also our other healthcare applications.

Vitafoods Europe has become an essential event in the nutraceutical and food ingredients calender. A repution for showcasing many new products and giving visitors the opportunity to discover the latest developments in the industry, all at one time, in one place.

Please click here to arrange a meeting with our team

KITOZYME – NBT AWARDS FINALIST for "MOST INNOVATIVE INGREDIENT"

KitoZyme is pleased to announce that the vegetable chitosan - KiOnutrime-Cs^® - has been nominated as finalist for the Nutraceutical Business & Technology Awards 2012 at the Vitafoods Europe trade show in Geneva, 22-24 May 2012.

The category of the most innovative ingredient recognized the excellence research and development of a novel active or functional component that combines innovative science or new product features in a way that demonstrates substantial benefits to end-user populations when compared with existing ingredients for that disease condition or health management application.

The jury panel of independent experts has nominated KiOnutrime-Cs^® - our leading vegetable chitosan for weight and cholesterol management. Its unique benefits embrace unbeatable fat binding power (at least 800 times its own weight in fat), self-affirmed GRAS status in January 2012, high quality and purity, safe, non-allergenic, Kosher and Halal certified, etc. As we mentioned in our application, KitoZyme has also a real spirit of a continuous improvement of the process, the safety and the reliability for its leading-edge ingredients.

According to Head Judge Dr. Kevin Robinson, "The standard of nominations received made it an incredibly difficult decision for the judging panel — so well done to the finalists. I am also extremely grateful to the judges for generously donating so much of their time and expertise. It has been a challenging and fascinating task to this point".

Winners of the NBT Awards will be announced during the official ceremony taking place on 23 May 2012, in Geneva during the Vitafoods Expo.

Click here to arrange a meeting at our booth 1264

Click here to know more about KiOnutrime-Cs^®

BIOMEDICA 2012 - Dr. Véronique Maquet - Advance in biomaterials repair cartilage

Cartilage lesions affect millions of people worldwide and are very invalidating for the people suffering from them. There are multiple causes for cartilage lesions: trauma, rheumatoid pathologies from degenerative or inflammatory origin. If left untreated, significant articular defects can progress to even more serious conditions such as osteoarthritis (OA), which ultimately may require a total knee arthroplasty. The repair of cartilage is still a challenging problem for the scientists and surgeons because of the particular mechanical and biochemical conditions of this tissue which limit strongly its ability to regenerate. Besides joint replacement, the surgical alternatives for cartilage repair are emerging only since recently and the few techniques that have been proposed give bad long-term results.

For instance, lavage and debridement may offer temporary pain relief but no prospect of long-term cure. Bone marrow stimulation (e.g. microfracture), mosaicplasty and autologous chondrocytes implantation (ACI) are currently used, however with intrinsic drawbacks. Marrow stimulation techniques fail to provide long-term solution leading the development of fibrocartilage instead of hyaline cartilage. ACI procedure is limited to young patients with small traumatic lesions of the cartilage and only in very precise situations.

To answer this unmet medical need, new biomaterial-based therapeutic solutions to repair cartilage lesions are emerging. These biomaterials are used alone or in combination with cells, most particularly mesenchymal stem cells. Recent developments on chitosan-based biomaterials (chitosan-based hydrogels and chitosan-alginate hydrogel beads) to treat cartilage lesions will be presented. Chitosan is a biopolymer produced by KitoZyme from a non-animal source, the A. bisporus or white edible mushrooms, following GMP for pharmaceutical ingredients. This linear polysaccharide, composed of D-glucosamine and the N-acetyl D-glucosamine, is biodegradable and biocompatible, bio/muco-adhesive and can be processed into different forms including thermosetting and injectable gels. In collaboration with the University of Liège (www.bcru.be - Professor Yves HENROTIN), chitosan-based biomaterials have been shown to have interesting anti-inflammatory and anabolic effects on human OA chondrocytes, while promoting the synthesis of cartilage-specific matrix component and maintaining the chondrocyte phenotype. These particular effects indicate the potential of these biomaterials as carriers for cell transplantation, in particular to repair cartilage defects.

Discover this presentation at Biomedica 2012 - Liège - Thursday 19 April, 10.40 - 11.05.

Click here to know more about our Medical & Pharma business unit

Cosmofarma Exhibition is now recognized as the most important European trade show as regards health care, beauty care and all the services associated with the pharmacy world.

This trade show is the best place for KitoZyme to present our new business unit "Consumer Health Care" with our Medical Device solutions for weight & cholesterol management but also moisturizing cream for extremely dry skin
 

Keen to know more? Contact us to arrange a meeting!

GRAS status received for vegetable chitosan KiOnutrime-Cs^® and beta-glucan KiOnutrime^® Protect

KitoZyme announced today that the vegetable chitosan KiOnutrime-Cs^® and the high purity beta(1,3)-glucan KiOnutrime^®Protect - derived from fungi – have received GRAS status.

On January 12th 2012, pursuant to 21 CFR §173.280, KiOnutrime-Cs^® and KiOnutrime^®Protect were determined by KitoZyme to be Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS), as a direct food ingredient in Foods and Beverages. An independent Panel of qualified Experts concluded that the intended uses and use-levels of both fibers, produced using suitable and safe raw material sources of A. niger obtained from manufacturers of food grade citric acid, and manufactured in accordance with current good manufacturing practice (cGMP), are Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS), based on scientific procedures.

The Expert Panel reviewed information pertaining to the conditions of use and use levels of chitosan and beta-glucan. Chitosan from A. niger is intended to be used as a dietary fiber (nutritive use) in various food and beverage products across multiple food categories at use levels of between 0.25 to 3.5% (w/v). Chitosan also is proposed for use a multi-use direct and indirect food additive at use levels of 0.005 to 1% (w/v). Beta-glucan from A.niger is intended to be used in multiple food categories at 200mg/per serving.

In the area of improving global health and well-being through nutrition, KitoZyme has successfully designed KiOnutrime-Cs^®, the leading vegetable fat-binder.

Its unique benefits mean that KiOnutrime-Cs^®, is ideal for all weight management and cholesterol products: unbeatable fat binding power (at least 800 times its own weight in fat), high quality and purity, safe, non-allergenic, Kosher and Halal certified. Major leaders evolving in the nutraceutical industry trust in the efficacy of non-animal chitosan as a potent and pioneering fat-binder for weight and cholesterol management. Moreover, in June 2011, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) issued a positive evaluation for chitosan and the maintenance of normal blood LDL-cholesterol.

In response to the increasing demand for improving global health and with the aim of stimulating positive immune system enhancement, KitoZyme has also designed a high purity beta(1,3)-glucan, KiOnutrime^®Protect. This features superior glucan content (≥75%) as compared to the other beta-glucans. Supported by in vitro and in vivo tests, KiOnutrime^®Protect decreases health challenges and improves the immune response by supporting the oxidative burst and the degranulation.

KitoZyme is a leading manufacturer of functional biopolymers and a full-service provider of medical device products. More specifically, KitoZyme, which is based in Liège, Belgium, develops and produces chitosan (and derivatives), chitin-glucan and beta-glucan, which are exclusively extracted from renewable, non-GMO fungal sources. In obtaining self-affirmed GRAS status for KiOnutrime-Cs^® and KiOnutrime^®Protect, KitoZyme has further confirmed its commitments to providing safe solutions.

Click here to know more about KiOnutrime-Cs^®

Click here to know more about KiOnutrime^®Protect

The chitosan receives positive opinion in EFSA evaluations

In July 2011, pursuant to 21 CFR §170.30, chitosan derived from Aspergillus niger has been determined by KitoZyme to be Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS), as a secondary direct food ingredient (processing aid) for use in the production of alcoholic beverages.  This determination is based on scientific procedures and on the consensus opinion of an independent panel of qualified Experts.  In accordance to 21 CFR 170.36, a GRAS Notice has been sent to the US FDA on July, 28 2011.

With the evident efficacy of chitosan and in a matter of improving global health and well-being through nutrition, KitoZyme has successfully designed KiOnutrime-Cs^®, a unique, vegetal chitosan dedicated to the nutraceutical industry.

KiOnutrime-Cs^®, as a vegetarian fiber, is ideal for all weight management and cholesterol products thanks to its unique characteristics: unbeatable fat binding power (at least 800 times its own weight in fat), high quality and purity, safe, non-allergenic, Kosher and Halal certified. Major leaders evolving in the nutraceutical industry trust the efficacy of vegetal chitosan as a potent and pioneering fat-binder for weight and cholesterol management.

Moreover, in June, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) issued a series of evaluations regarding Article 13.1 “general function” health claims, including a positive evaluation for vegetal chitosan and the maintenance of normal blood LDL-cholesterol. The evidence, a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials that investigated the effects of chitosan consumption on blood lipids, was evaluated by EFSA and showed a statistically significant reduction in total and LDL-cholesterol concentrations. It was concluded that a cause and effect relationship had been established between the consumption of chitosan and the maintenance of normal blood LDL-cholesterol concentrations. To obtain the claimed effect, 3 g of vegetal chitosan should be consumed daily.

KiOnutrime-Cs^® and these advancements in the realm of vegetal chitosan are triggering new developments of chitosan-based dietary supplements and broaden the scope for innovative nutraceutical products, particularly in the area of dietary supplements for sports nutrition, cholesterol management, functional food, beverage and Halal and Kosher products.

Long-term partnership with Clariant

To meet the needs of Personal Care customers worldwide for natural and sustainable ingredients, the Business Unit Industrial & Consumer Specialties (ICS) of Clariant and KitoZyme have entered a technological and commercial longterm partnership for the exclusive worldwide distribution of biotechnology products designed by KitoZyme for personal care applications.

This partnership is based on KitoZyme’s innovation, namely the creation of a unique platform around high-purity biopolymers of chitosan, chitin-glucan and their derivatives extracted exclusively from safe, renewable, non-GMO and non-animal sources without any synthetic manipulation. By exploiting these raw materials, KitoZyme offers an alternative to the current animal source and guarantees nowadays and in the future the continuous supply and the high quality of its chitosan and chitin-glucan regarding traceability, safety, purity and specifications. Additionally, the process based on by-product valorization has obvious advantages, such as eco-friendliness and cost-effectiveness.

The complete range of biopolymers for personal care applications of KitoZyme will be available from October 2011 under Clariant trade names VITIPURE™, ZENVIVO™ and VELSAN^®. These leading-edge ingredients cover a wide range of applications and deliver proven high performance including sensory enhancing, skin repair, anti-ageing, moisturizing and antimicrobial properties. Overall, they undeniably meet the current need for innovative, natural, potent and safe ingredients.

Hugues Bultot, CEO at KitoZyme, commented: “Developing new industrial processes based on the ‘bio-refinery’ concept is a clear trend in the White Biotech sector. A bio-refinery increases the profitability along the value chain and helps white biotech companies to be more environmentally friendly and more sustainable. With countless numbers of microorganisms currently produced by the different actors of the White Biotech, bio-refinery offers many excellent opportunities for product innovation. Moreover, thanks to our proprietary processes, they offer the double advantage of by-product valorization and generation of efficient ingredients in a cost-effective, highly reproducible and safe way.”

Michael Willome, Head of Business Unit ICS, added: “Clariant’s decision to partner with KitoZyme is fully in line with our strategy to be the preferred partner to the Personal Care industry by providing sustainable innovations and superior sensory differentiation based on formulation expertise and market insight. This partnership helps us to become a supplier of technology ingredients with the character of differentiation, with the help of new technologies and a deeper product portfolio.”

Through this partnership, the Business Unit ICS of Clariant will utilize its application development, branding, marketing and sales expertise to expand the use of these potent ingredients in the personal care industry. These ingredients will result in a new range of sustainable and cost effective biopolymers for Clariant, which aligns with its corporate commitment to social responsibility and sustainable business practices. The Business Unit ICS and KitoZyme will collaborate also for future product development with other ingredients.

About KitoZyme

Created in late 2000, KitoZyme, located in Liege, Belgium, develops and manufactures specialty ingredients dedicated to the nutraceutical, cosmetic, medical, pharmaceutical, food and beverage industry. KitoZyme combines its unique know-how, expertise and competences in Life Sciences to create right solutions that are sustainable, highly effective and extremely safe.

About Clariant – BU ICS

Clariant's Business Unit Industrial & Consumer Specialties (ICS) is a globally active provider of specialty chemicals and application solutions for consumer care and industrial markets. The BU combines high quality products with formulation expertise across diverse industries to deliver solutions with compelling cost-performance ratios and environmental benefits to customers. The Consumer Care segment includes the Personal Care business which, among others, develops and produces specialty ingredients for skin and hair care, wet wipes and selected pharmaceutical applications.

For more information: KitoZyme website & Clariant, personal care