Kemin and Valensa International introduce aglae-sourced beta-glucan ingredients

Published: 26-Sep-2017

Novel BetaVia ingredients to launch at SupplySide West for use in dietary supplements and functional foods and beverages

Kemin Industries and Valensa International announced a partnership to jointly supply and market BetaVia ingredients, immune-supporting beta-glucans sourced from a proprietary strain of algae (Euglena gracilis), in the US dietary supplement and functional foods and beverages markets.

The new microalgae ingredients will be launched at the SupplySide West tradeshow in Las Vegas and will be marketed under the brand names, BetaVia Complete (Euglena gracilis) and BetaVia Pure (Paramylon/Linear beta-1, 3-glucan).

The pro-immunity ingredients will be offered as stand-alone ingredients and as part of Valensa's proprietary synergistic combinations.

Anita Norian, President of Kemin Human Nutrition and Health, said: “We are enthusiastic about the launch of our BetaVia ingredients. Kemin’s expansion into immune health highlights our continued initiative to become the supplier of choice for science-backed, high-quality dietary ingredients across platforms. Partnering with Valensa, a leader in the microalgae space, will help propel this ingredient forward in the US market.”

The BetaVia product line offers a new, patented standard in immune support using Euglena gracilis microalgae. BetaVia ingredients are naturally sourced, GMO and gluten-free for functional applications. Both in vitro and animal studies show that algae-sourced BetaVia ingredients can prime key immune cells to strengthen the body’s immune defences.

C.P. Umasudhan, CEO of Valensa, said: “Valensa and its affiliate Parry Nutraceuticals are market leaders in microalgae-based supplements with well-established ingredient brands in over 30 countries. The relationship with Kemin allows us to introduce novel immunity supplement formulations made stronger by BetaVia, to our omni-channel customer base in the US and internationally.”

This partnership creates a two-armed sales approach to the US dietary supplement and functional foods and beverages markets. The Kemin sales team will service the functional food and beverage customers while Valensa’s sales team will service customers producing dietary supplements.

“We believe in a ‘partner and grow’ model that helps both companies leverage our mutual strengths to quickly penetrate the market and achieve sustainable growth. We take pride in partnering with Kemin, a company which has a strong reputation and credibility in the marketplace and has shared values to help our customers create differentiated and effective dietary supplements that enhance health,” said Umasudhan.

BetaVia ingredients will enhance Valensa’s patent-protected and clinically supported Immunum dietary supplements, which are available in bulk powder blends. Valensa’s patented BetaVia formulations for consumers include: Immunum Pro, containing BetaVia and proprietary spirulina extract for dual-action adaptive and innate immunity; Travel Armor, containing BetaVia with fast-acting antioxidant protection for the frequent traveller; and Immunum Active, which delivers BetaVia with Zanthin Natural Astaxanthin for recovery, stress support and year-round, balanced immune support.

With this launch, Kemin adds to its catalog of ingredients for functional foods and beverages, building on its industry leadership in vision and cognition health.

Valensa will be sampling BetaVia supplement formulations at booth O127 and Kemin will be at booth II159 during SupplySide West in Las Vegas.

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