Danisco launches vitamin K brand
In making the announcement this afternoon the company highlighted the “emerging” nutrient’s link to bone and cardiovascular health, along with ActivK’s bioavailability.
Vitamin K won a positive generic article 13.1 opinion from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) last year linking vitamin K and the maintenance of normal bone and normal blood coagulation.
Danisco is sourcing ActivK from natto, the Japanese fermented soy bean dish and it will take up a position in Danisco’s Health & Nutrition portfolio.
“For Danisco, the launch of its new brand opens up the market beyond the borders of food and beverages, as ActivK is also commercialised for the worldwide dietary supplement industry, which is today an established and dynamic market in the vitamin K2 field,” comments Peter Wisler, global business development director, Danisco Health & Nutrition.
“This launch also shows Danisco’s long-term interest in this new and highly functional vitamin and will open doors for the future.”
Danisco will showcase the ingredient in the form of a bar containing vitamin K, calcium and vitamin D at upcoming trade shows in Las Vegas and Madrid. The marketing will present the three nutrients as essential to bone health.
The company was not available for further comment at the time of publication.
K – benefits and forms
There are two main forms of vitamin K: phylloquinone, also known as phytonadione, (vitamin K1) which is found in green leafy vegetables such as lettuce, broccoli and spinach, and makes up about 90 per cent of the vitamin K in a typical Western diet; and menaquinones (vitamins K2), which make up about 10 per cent of Western vitamin K consumption and can be synthesised in the gut by microflora.
Menaquinones (MK-n: with the n determined by the number of prenyl side chains) can also be found in the diet; MK-4 can be found in animal meat, MK-7, MK-8, and MK-9 are found in fermented food products like cheese, and natto is a rich source of MK-7.
