At the recent Nutraceutical and Functional Food Asia Pacific Summit in Singapore Dr. Toshikazu Kamiya, research fellow for Kyowa Hakko Bio, talked on how amino acids, peptides and oligosaccharides are being leveraged for better nutraceutical values.
 
Dr. Kamiya shared recent findings on the health benefits of oral glutathione supplementation. Specifically, he discussed how Kyowa’s Setria Glutathione has been shown to replenish the body’s reserves, which may be depleted by poor lifestyle choices, natural aging and stress. The fermentation process, he said, is the key to creating glutathione that is high purity and high quality.
 
“As the most abundant antioxidant in the human body, glutathione is critical to the protection and overall health of organs and cells,” Dr. Kamiya said. “Glutathione already is used in many nutraceutical applications, including those for skin whitening and liver protection. It shows great promise for continued development and application in nutraceutical formulations.”
 
The presentation also covered the physical property of dipeptides and their applications. Kyowa manufactures Sustamine L-Alanyl-L-Glutamine, a dipeptide of alanine and glutamine, which has superior solubility and stability in water. Again, fermentation is what makes dipeptides like Sustamine effective in enhancing recovery, building immune support and increasing metabolic rates.
 
“Kyowa Hakko Bio uses a proprietary dipeptide fermentation technology to produce L-Alanyl-L-Glutamine from glucose,” he said. “The end product—Sustamine—is water soluble, making it a perfect ingredient for sports nutrition drinks, powders and supplements. It also has clinical applications for rehydration, as well as parenteral and enteral nutrition.”
 
Dr. Kamiya also spoke on the use of amino acids for wound healing and the functional roles of oligosaccharides. His presentation was part of the larger NFFAP Summit, held in early July. The conference provides information on “authoritative interpretation on market entry and supervision regulations for functional food in the main Asia-Pacific region.”

For more information: www.kyowahakko-bio.co.jp/english