Rosemary Extract, “Multi-lifecycle” Antioxidant

The title was: Rosemary Extract, High-temperature Resistant Antioxidant. On a second thought, the author decided to put it in industry-insiders’ terms- “Multi-lifecycle” Antioxidant, as the rosemary extract is unique among antioxidants, particularly the natural ones in the fact it has multi-lifecycle antioxidant effect. By that, we mean the secondary and tertiary metabolites of rosemary extract, oxidated when used as part of food, still plays its antioxidant role. That is to say, rosemary extract has a “long-lasting antioxidant effect”. This alone will make rosemary extract “a future fashion”.
 

Containing effective components such as carnosic acid, rosmarinic acid and carnosol, rosemary extract is known not only for its antioxidation as a traditional plant extract, but for its anticorrosion and antisepsis. In addition, rosemary extract is regarded miraculous for: its stability in the environment of a temperature as high as 240℃, solely outshining among the plant extract family known for antioxidation. While many antioxidants preferred amid the health industry is unstable either to light or to heat, rosemary is far away from such vulnerabilities to make formulators at ease in using it in food replenishers, food beverages, fresh meats, noodles and even seasonings. Thus, it’s universally recognized as the third generation of antioxidants for green foods.
　
Rosemary Extract, Legal Pass Worldwide
According to Herbridge media, the U.S., Japan and some European countries, the first to study on the antioxidant of rosemary extract, have researched and developed rosemary antioxidant product series one after another, which have been widely applied in the preservation of oils and fats, oil-rich foods and meat products as proved safe in the toxicity test. At present, natural antioxidants take up 30% among all in the U.S. and Japan markets, mainly vitamin E and rosemary antioxidant. It’s predicted to continue to grow, by over 10% each year.
Rosemary extract was approved to be used in organic foods as an antioxidant in 2008 in Europe, unless the extract is made by organically planted rosemary and extracted by ethanol. Then in 2010, Europe continues to permit rosemary extract to be used in food antisepsis as antioxidant.
In Feb., 2012, European Commission again issued the approval for rosemary extract to be used in the fillings of Italian dry pasta up to 250mg/kg as a limit applicable to all European Union member countries.
Currently, developed countries such as Japan and US have limited or prohibited the use of artificially synthesized antioxidants that are harmful to human body. TBHQ is excluded from the list of food addictive in Japan, while Europe and U.S. are witnessing an increasingly stricter limit upon the use of BHA, BHT and TBHQ, which are particularly prohibited from the use in food for children and infants.


Stipulated in the Sanitary Standards for Use of Food Addictive in China, water-soluble powder rosemary antioxidant (rosmarinic acid) can be used in food, such as beverage, aquatic products and seafood. There have been over 17 antioxidants listed into GB2760 in three major categories as a) chemically synthesized phenol compounds such as BHT, BHA and TBHQ; b) vitamins such as vitamin C, sodium erythorbate, D-isoascorbic acid, vitamin E and beta-carotene; and c) natural extracts: TP, hay antioxidant and bamboo leave antioxidant. However, as revealed by Herbridge media, the requirements of quality standard for rosemary extracts stated in GB2760 are relatively backward and not good for the full play of rosemary extract in the future. Luckily, however, the National Standard Committee is considering to rebuild the national quality standard for rosemary extract as a natural oxidant in 2015. Then it will take the use of rosemary extract in our country to a more normative level.

Contributor to the Future Market
It can be stated when Herbridge media unveils the acquisition of Vitiva, a professional Slovenian rosemary extractor, by Frutarom, the global giant of perfumes, it rapidly spreads over the natural antioxidant suppliers worldwide. Coupled with Frutarom’s understanding of its global food and beverage customers across the globe, a battle for the rosemary extract market of food and health products in the future, in China especially, is officially erupted.
Rosemary extract producers and suppliers currently available on our market include Kemin of US, Naturex of France, Frutarom of Israel, Kalsec of US, Geneham of Hunan and Suptek of Hainan.
Zheng Zhigang, Sales Director of China Region of Naturex, introduces that, through the past two decades, rosemary extract has registered a rapid development as a natural antioxidant in the international market and remained a relatively quick growth by far. A major reason shall be attributed to consumers’ increasing recognition of the importance of reading the instructions and the content of synthetic elements will largely decide if a product can be sold. The risk to health of TBHQ is not only deeply known among enterprises, but turns out a consensus amid consumers. And the producers shall take into account the product sales based upon the cost on the one hand, and the specific formula from the acceptance of the consumers.
For rosemary extract, a component with strict requirement for technology, how to successfully put it into thousands of health product ends becomes a question more of the application than of the product. Naturex has developed over 100 professional forms to apply to over 100 products. With meat products as an instance, purely water soluble and oil soluble antioxidants will fail to make an effective preservation. To ensure a good performance by injection into the meat products' tissues, Naturex has developed a rosemary extract in oil soluble state upon water dispersion, i.e. as the water soluble substrate spreads to the muscular tissues, the oil soluble component will cover the cells of muscular tissues to preserve the surface.


Zhou Yingjun, board chairman of Hunan Genham Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., introduces to the media that carnosic acid, one of the oil soluble components of rosemary extract, is of extremely strong antioxidation. Serial phenolic diterpenes, cored by carnosic acid, have a considerable stability and antioxidation in the fat and oil. While Asians enjoy eating fried foods, rosemary extract is suitable for instilling a new health property in such foods. An extensive outlook for application can be expected for rosemary extract in the future.


In addition, the component of rosmarinic acid can contain the absorption of fat, prevent the aging of heart and cerebral vessels and protect the cranial nerves, thus making available a broader space for application of rosemary extract.


Amid the transformation and upgrading period China’s food industry is about to enter, in the face of the perseverant obstacle of food safety, one of the ways for our food industry to seek a safe development is the natural food addictive.


Zhou Yingjun from Hunan Genham Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. told our media that domestic plant extract producers shall focus on nothing else but how to sharpen their capacity. Genham currently possesses over 10,000mu of rosemary planting base under whole-process supervision in a hope to develop targeted products from the seeding step, coupled with the company’s innovative technologies and based upon Asian’s eating habits. As to the cost, the biggest concern of buyers, Mr. Zhou says for some food applications, the cost is 2 to 3 times that of other synthesized antioxidants such as TBHQ, but it will turn out acceptable since scaled production will be normally carried out in such enterprises to weaken the total cost. Most importantly, products of rosemary extract will have a notably higher quality.

Future Application Trend of Rosemary Extract
With new antioxidation solution brought by compounding, rosemary extract remains the best-performing natural antioxidant. Besides the development of rosemary application, compounding will be another focus of suppliers in future development. Coupled with the features of the downstream food suppliers, compounding rosemary extract will bring more options for the enterprise.
Moreover, the oil solution of rosemary extract makes available a wide range of application in fat oxidation resistance, e.g. the protection of various unsaturated fatty acid against the rancidity and oxidation, and the maximization of the performance of the currently popular fish oil capsule, CLA and ALA – it’s not impossible for enterprises to involve rosemary extract to escort the easily oxidized unsaturated fatty acid. Another arena for rosemary extract is the preservation of unsaturated fatty acid in dairy industry. More instant foods and snack foods, such as fried instant noodle, potato chips and French fries will entail the help of rosemary extract to fix a position in the healthy product family.

Will the Popularity of Rosemary Extract be Far away?
According to Herbridge media, there are below 20 kinds of products currently on market added with rosemary formula, basically imported ones, such as biscuit, thin pancake, seasoning, and rusk and barbecue sauce. Varieties of products that will engage rosemary extract in the future will fully depend on the research, development and market thoughts of the downstream enterprises in our country.
The R&D Department of Wilmar told the Herbridge media that rosemary extract is worth attention and its application in the end will first depend on hi-end products and minor health products to nurture wider consumer recognition. It’s believed by Herbridge media that the major application of rosemary extract in the future will need a trial period of the enterprise. In particular, large healthy food producers normally will refuse to put a new formula into the existing products, especially those products of mature market. Typically, large enterprises will have a trial, coupled with publicity, to attract enough consumer attention, i.e. the consumer education period. As the market recognition becomes more extensive and further innovation is applied to products, the product categories will increase to gradually approach a major application era.
Comment on Annual Trend of Momordica Grosvenori Extract in 2014
As a new sweetening agent, the momordica grosvenori extract is widely popular in the market and has gradually become as famous as stevioside. As revealed by the Herbridge media, the market scale of momordica grosvenori increases by 8% between 2012 and 2013, by 11% between 2013 and 2014, and by around 8% estimated without consideration spared to the grant of approval by European food safety authority in 2015.
 
Huge Expansion of Planting of Momordica Grosvenori

The prosperity of the momordica grosvenori market has directly promoted the fever of the planting. Besides Guilin, industry insiders also have found as much as 200,000mu field suitable for momordica grosvenori planting, such as Shaoyang, Hengyang, Yongzhou and Huaihua in Hunan. As reported by the Herbridge media, the planting area of momordica grosvenori in China reaches 45000mu, up 20-30% year on year. To meet the demand both at home and abroad, hugely more area is needed.
While there’s a promising market demand, the planting technology faces a huge challenge. According to the Herbridge media, output of momordica grosvenori currently on market is between 1 and 1.2t with effective component averaging around 0.47%. If the output can be raised to 1.5-1.8t with effective component elevated to around 0.7%, the production cost for momordica grosvenori will decline by 50% to show a greatly higher competitiveness in the international arena.
 
Fierce Competition among Domestic and Overseas Suppliers

Domestic market
Besides the a few suppliers in Guilin, the suppliers of momordica grosvenori gradually extend to Hunan regions suitable for the planting of the fruit. Enterprises represented by Hunan Huacheng Bio will start to expand their production line of momordica grosvenori. GLG is also actively applying for the patent of momordica grosvenori extract.

International market
Many enterprises in Japan, US and New Zealand are developing and applying the momordica grosvenori, of which the Blue California Company based on California has been granted the GRAS certificate. Also Cargill is participating in the supply line of momordica grosvenori and has put into production in autumn 2014.

Decline in Stable Growth in the Future
According to the Herbridge media, the mogrosides will take away some market shares of other sweetening agents such as steviarebaudiana, sucrose and sucralose. In the future, the market demand for momordica grosvenori extract will expand by 1 to 3 times to reach USD120m – 300m. But the promising expectation needs the bolster of a wider planting area.
Future market for momordica grosvenori will decline due to the scaled production, constantly improving management and technology and cost reduction. Naturally, price war is another contributor, but not the major one.

Increase of Competitiveness of Momordica Grosvenori Suppliers

Hunan Huacheng Bio told the Herbridge media that although the momordica grosvenori extract currently available on domestic market is made in China, the formula for end product such as dining table sweetening agent hasn’t been developed by domestic suppliers. Viewed from the present competitiveness of other sweetening agents, it will be one of the important factors for the enterprises to develop a relatively advantageous momordica grosvenori extract formula, thus raising their own image.
Furthermore, although the purifying technology for momordica grosvenori extract has been constantly updating, further breakthrough is needed to lower the cost in an effort to provide the market with momordica grosvenori sweetening agent of lower cost and higher purity.
Finally, to have a stable and prominent performance in international market, application of patent and mainstream certificates both at home and abroad shall also be considered in addition to their own product advantages. It’s worthy of the capital and time investment.