The Dutch chemicals company said the rise would be applicable to natural source vitamin E and mixed tocopherols for all food and dietary supplement uses for contract and non-contract customers with immediate effect.
There are eight forms of vitamin E: four tocopherols (alpha, beta, gamma, delta) and four tocotrienols (alpha, beta, gamma, delta). Alpha-tocopherol is the main source found in supplements and in the European diet, while gamma-tocopherol is the most common form in the American diet.
Euromonitor stats show a global supplements market worth $9.18bn (€6.7bn) in 2009, with vitamin C accounting for $3.4bn (€2.49bn), coenzyme Q10 at $897m (€657m) and vitamin E at $1.39bn (€1.02bn).
Health benefits
Its range of health benefits includes improving the function of the liver thereby strengthening the body's defence system, contributing to a healthy circulatory system and aiding in proper blood clotting and wound healing.
Some studies have shown that vitamin E decreases symptoms of premenstrual syndrome and certain types of breast disease as well as helping to protect against Alzheimer's disease.
It is also thought to have an anti-cancer effect, while animal studies have suggested that vitamin E does slow the development of atherosclerosis.
DSM nutrition in good form
Meanwhile, DSM, in its first quarter 2010 results released yesterday, looks to have kicked off the year in good form, with a 24 per cent increase in net sales overall and a stable and robust performance from its nutrition division.
For the first quarter of this year, operating profit across the group is not only up significantly from the same period of last year – EBITDA is up 114 per cent to €304m – but it has also returned to the level seen in Q1 2008.
Chairman Feike Sijbesma cited the nutrition business amongst the drivers of this strong performance, as well as recovery in material sciences and the overall effect of cost saving initiatives, which had a €200m effect last year.
Sales in nutrition were up 4 per cent to €732m on the prior year period, though operating profit took as slight dip, from €141m to €138m, due to unfavourable currency exchange rates.