US patent granted to Sabinsa for Garcitrin
weight management ingredient Garcitrin, thereby adding to the body
of knowledge surrounding the use of hydroxycitric acid compounds.
The patent, entitled "Bioavailable Composition of Natural and Synthetic HCA", covers the use of hydroxycitric acid (HCA) in combination with garcinol.
New Jersey-based Sabinsa's latest patent adds another competitor to the North American market for HCA weight management ingredients.
Most frequently derived from a South Asian fruit called Garcinia cambogia, HCA has been recognized for several decades as a weight management compound.
However, because HCA is poorly absorbed into target cells, it is ineffective alone as an inhibitor for adenosine triphosphate-citrate-lyase, a key enzyme in body fat formation.
As such, Sabinsa's proprietary ingredient Garcitrin combines HCA with garcinol, a polyisoprenylated benzophenone isolated from Garcinia cambogia and Garcinia indica fruits.
The combination of calcium salt HCA and garcinol reduces fatty acid and lipid synthesis and improves lean body mass more effectively than HCA alone, according to Sabinsa. The company found that in clinical studies, Garcitrin promoted a reduction in total body weight, body mass index, body fat and perceived appetite level, as well as increase lean body mass and body water content.
But Garcitrin is not the only patented HCA weight loss compound on the market. For instance, in 2005 InterHealth was awarded a US patent for Super CitriMax, a form of HCA bound to calcium and potassium.
Sabinsa now holds 21 US patents and seven international patents for its ingredients.
"We continue to invest tremendous resources in securing our intellectual property worldwide," said Sabinsa president Todd Norton. The company has over 100 full time scientists researching in both India and the United States.
