A clinical study that was recently published in the European Journal of Nutrition shows that the bioavailability of curcumin can be increased significantly with the help of gammadextrin by a factor of 40 compared to conventional curcumin extract.
Curcumin is an antioxidant that exhibits anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and hypoallergenic properties, but is not readily absorbed in the human bloodstream. CAVACURMIN®, a powder-form gammadextrin-curcumin formulation, can be easily processed in food supplements, such as tablets, capsules and energy bars or functional beverages.
Curcumin, the active compound in turmeric, is an antioxidant that has been shown to exhibit anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and hypoallergenic properties. However, because it is not water-soluble, it is not readily absorbed in the human bloodstream. With the aid of gammadextrin, curcumin’s bioavailability can be increased significantly, an effect that has now been scientifically proven once more.
An independent double-blind crossover clinical study performed in the US compared the relative absorption of CAVACURMIN® (gammadextrin-curcumin formulation) with pure curcumin extract (95%) and two commercially available curcumin preparations designed to increase bioavailability.
After oral ingestion of the substance, the blood of the study participants was analysed at regular intervals over the course of 12 hours. It was shown that CAVACURMIN® was absorbed approximately 40 times more efficiently than the standard extract, and at least 4.6 times better than the next best comparable commercial product.
The cyclic oligosaccharide gammadextrin increases the bioavailability of curcumin due to its unique properties. Gammadextrin is hydrophilic on the outside with a hydrophobic cavity on the inside, which allows it to accommodate other hydrophobic substances. In this way, cyclodextrins can bind ingredients, release active agents or stabilise sensitive substances and interfaces.
To increase bioavailability, the water-soluble gammadextrin can encapsulate fat-soluble curcumin, for example. Hydrophobic curcumin, thus gets a hydrophilic shell and therefore forms a molecular dispersion in water that leads to a much better absorption by the human body.
As a free-flowing, dispersible powder, CAVACURMIN® is suitable not only for dry or powdered food supplements, such as tablets, capsules and energy bars, but also for functional beverages. The alternative that cyclodextrins offer for many food-supplement formulations is not only cholesterol-free and non-allergenic, but also plant-based. Produced enzymatically from starch, cyclodextrins are manufactured by WACKER entirely from renewable raw materials.
Sales and technology director for Nutrition at WACKER BIOSOLUTIONS Helmut Reuscher said: “We are very pleased with the positive results of the clinical study on the enhanced bioavailability of curcumin by gammadextrin.
“According to our customers, high bioavailability is getting more and more important in food supplements. We are very proud that our innovative cyclodextrin platform is finding more widespread use and allows our customers to make a contribution to the development of enhanced food supplements.”
