Frutarom Industries Ltd., Haifa, Israel, through its subsidiary, Frutarom Ltd., and Ilex Medical Ltd., through its subsidiary, CapsiVit Biotechnology Ltd., have signed an exclusive agreement to commercialize unique know-how developed by the Volcani Institute, with funding from CapsiVit, to produce a natural extract from the Capsicum annuum L. plant as a highly bio-available source of carotenoids, and particularly, the powerful antioxidant capsanthin. In its natural form, capsanthin is not bioavailable to the human body and only a small amount is processed by digestive enzymes and absorbed into the blood. This patent-protected technology enables industrial use of enzymes found naturally in the human digestive system to process capsanthin and allow significant bio-availability. The agreement with Capsi­Vit gives Frutarom an exclusive global license to manufacture and market the unique natural extract, based on patented know-how, worldwide.