Roche Vitamins has announced the launch of two new lutein product forms for the food and dietary supplement market named Lutein 5 per cent CWS and Lutein 5 percent TG/P.
The Lutein 5 per cent CWS is described as a cold-water-dispersible form specifically developed for the fortification of foods and beverages and for effervescent tablets. Lutein 5 per cent TG/P however is said to be a new tablet-grade form suitable for a range of tabletting applications which the company says delivers excellent performance even at high doses.
Lutein is a carotenoid found in green leafy vegetables such as spinach and is an important antioxidant and filter of blue light, says Roche, with high concentrations found in the human retina. According to the company, several studies suggest a positive relationship between the consumption of lutein and the incidence of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by which 25-30 million people are affected worldwide.
Roche recently announced the sale of its Vitamins and Fine Chemicals Division, which supplies vitamins and carotenoids to the feed, food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries, to the Netherlands-based DSM group, pending approval of the merger control authorities. With its own research centres, production facilities and worldwide sales and distribution network, in 2002 it recorded sales of approximately SF3.4 billion.