New Zealand-based dairy biotechnology company, Quantec Ltd, has signed a distribution and supply agreement with Japanese specialty ingredients company, Kanematsu Chemicals Corporation. Kanematsu will distribute Quantec’s patented complex of bioactive milk proteins called IDP throughout Japan. IDPis also currently available for supply in North America— marketed directly by Quantec in New Zealand — and is approved for use in dietary supplements.
 
Quantec’s Japanese deal is expected to extend over a number of years and the distribution agreement provides Quantec further expansion into the Asian market. Further, the partnership provides Kanematsu with access to Quantec’s dairy-based bioactive protein ingredient for inclusion in functional foods and human health products.  
 
“Japanese consumers have always looked very favorably on New Zealand dairy products and we expect the agreement between Quantec and Kanematsu to further build on this customer perception of quality and innovation,” according to James Groenhart of Kanematsu New Zealand Ltd, who is a spokesman for the Japanese company.
 
Quantec has completed a number of clinical studies in the U.S. on IDPover the past 5 years. These studies have investigated the complementary effect of IDP on the human innate immune system (also known as non-specific immune system or “first line of defense”) and the ability for IDPto correctly control the size or amplitude of the immune response after injury or infection. 
 
Founder and managing director of Quantec Ltd, Dr. Rod Claycomb explained that, “IDP is a unique ingredient naturally derived from fresh milk. It contains what we refer to as ‘Triple-A’ activity — antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. These bioactive proteins, which tend to resist much of the digestive process; work synergistically to destroy pathogenic bacteria, dampen the inflammatory response that often follows the infection or tissue damage and then completes the cycle by helping to promote the healing process. We have conducted studies using IDP on subjects with systemic inflammation from arthritis, acne infections of the face and bacterial halitosis of the oral cavity, every time IDP was shown to have a significant clinical advantage.”