The agreement, which sees the two firms initially work together in Turkey, a number of Balkan countries and South East Asia, follows Nektium’s similar agreements that expand its reach throughout Europe and the US.
Nektium are currently working with PLT Health Solutions for North America, DENK Ingredients for Germany, Austria and Switzerland and Becarré in France and Italy.
Core to this latest agreement will be how Nektium´s branded ingredient portfolio will be distributed as the firm look to gain maximum exposure in respective territories.
Nektium's spokesperson spoke of how Rhodiolife—Nektium´s Rhodiola rosea extract – benefited from a robust and established supply chain.
“Nektium has a strong alliance with a local Siberian supplier for over 15 years,” she said.
“As demand is skyrocketing and adulterated products are increasingly seen in the market, a reliable source is very important to ensure quality.”
Award-winning caffeine alternative
The most recent addition to Nektium´s portfolio was Zynamite - a caffeine replacement ingredient.
The Nektium R&D team spent more than two years investigating caffeine alternatives before launching this ingredient.
The mango leaf extract contains 60% Mangifera indica – a bioactive compound responsible for the caffeine-like effect, such as mental activation, focus and concentration.
This patent-pending ingredient was launched at Vitafoods Europe this year where it was also awarded the Sports Nutrition Ingredient of the Year at the Nutraingredients Awards.
Nektium Pharma has undergone a number of changes over the past years, with an emphasis now on botanical R&D to meet customer demands for ‘natural’ and ‘authentic’ ingredients.
“Customers clearly mark the trend towards more natural and quality products – something that plays in our favor as a botanical extract manufacturer located in the EU,” said the spokesperson.
“Consciously healthy and active lifestyles as well as natural sources for supplements are becoming mainstream so there is great market potential.
“Needless to say the US market is enormous and we are happy to have it covered through a reliable, long-term partner already.”
ULPGC Zynamite study
Zynamite’s efficacy was recently demonstrated in a study in collaboration with the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC).
The preclinical study showed a similar effect of Zynamite compared to caffeine and was approached as a sustained energy source for sports performance.
Tested in several combinations, Zynamite demonstrated an ergogenic effect, increasing muscle power in fatigued subjects and enhancing peak VO2 and brain oxygenation in women during prolonged sprinting.
Interestingly, the research team found the combination of Zynamite with quercetin and tiger nut extract improved skeletal muscle contractile function during ischemia/reperfusion.