Called xanthosteen 3510, the new addition to the company's portfolio of mangosteen ingredients is standardized to 3,500µmoleTE/g ORAC total, 10 percent alpha-mangostin by HPLC and 20 percent polyphenols.
The company already offers two mangosteen peel ingredients - a peel powder standardized to not less than 1500 ORAC per gram and a tea cut - as well as freeze dried mangosteen fruit powder.
Mangosteen is a fruit native to southeast Asia which is relatively unknown in North America.
Stefan Wypyszyk, vice president of marketing for MB North America, told NutraIngredients-USA.com that while some customers will prefer the peel powder as it contains the full profile of the peel's natural constituents, the benefit of the extract is that it permits a more manageable dose of antioxidants.
Four kilograms of dried peels are used to produce each kilogram of the extract.
He added that the extract, which costs around five times as much as the powder, is also more suitable for use in beverages.
Wypyszyk said there is a need for some people to supplement their diet with a product high in antioxidants, since they may have trouble meeting the daily recommendations for fruit and vegetable consumption.
The FDA recently raised its recommendations to between five and nine portions of fruit and vegetables per day.
Most of the pre-clinical work on mangosteen has centered on alpha- and beta-mangostin, xanthones that are responsible for its high ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) value.
Wypyszyk drew attention to a number of studies indicating the health benefits of these xanthones, including immunomodulatory action and their ability to induce apoptosis (cell death) in cancer cells.
Given this research and the bioassays, he said that there is great potential for mangosteen ingredients on the US market. While it is difficult to give a precise figure, he said they have the potential to be as big as grapeseed and bilberry.
Xanthosteen 3510 is being launched on a worldwide basis. It is manufactured in Germany by Finzelberg under a pharmaceutical manufacturing license for the newly implemented European Union Good Manufacturing Practices.
Finzelberg is also handling sales in Asia and Europe. The European launch is taking place this week at the pharmaceutical market CPhi in Madrid.