The World Health Organization (WHO) explains that at a biological level, ageing results from the impact of the accumulation of a wide variety of molecular and cellular damage over time.
This leads to a gradual decrease in physical and mental capacity, a growing risk of disease, and ultimately death.1
Biological age does not only relate to age but also indicates physical status. Some people age slowly and some people age quickly even though they’re the same age. At the cellular level, the accumulation of senescent cells causes a quicker ageing process.
Cellular senescence is seen as a major hallmark of ageing by scientists. Senolytic Therapeutics are developing proprietary strategies to destroy the senescent cells that generate the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) that harm tissues, thus treating one of the hallmarks of ageing and associated age-related diseases.2
One breakthrough study reported by Mayo Clinic confirmed fisetin as the most powerful senolytic in their study.3 Administration of fisetin to wild-type mice late in life restored tissue homeostasis, reduced age-related pathology, and extended median and maximum lifespan.3
With new scientific studies reported, the market demand for fisetin is growing quickly. The next concern for brands and customers is: how to choose the right fisetin ingredient. When brands are looking for a pharmaceutical ingredient, they rely on the standard from a pharmacopeia like United States Pharmacopoeia (USP), and European Pharmacopoeia (EP). A compendial standard typically consists of verified testing methods, acceptance criteria, and Reference Standards (RS).
Compendial standard is recognized as Golden Standards trusted by governments, industries, and customers.
What standards can be a golden standard for a dietary ingredient when no compendial standard is available? Take fisetin, the recent hot topic of senolytics, for example. One can easily find lots of fisetin ingredients and supplements in the market, all claiming high purity levels. However, a fisetin ingredient labeled 98% purity might only contain 80% or less. This discrepancy occurs as establishing a gold standard for assay includes a verified testing method and a credible Reference Standards (RS), publicly known as an external standard High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).
High-quality fisetin
Other than purity, assays are the most important part of a standard for a dietary ingredient. RS is essential to the accuracy of assays. Without RS, testing its content is like measuring weight without scales and length without a ruler. Bonerge Lifescience is an innovative manufacturer and a turn-key solution provider in the pharmaceutical, food, and cosmeceutical ingredients industry. The company has determined and compared numerous fisetin RS globally and qualified a German-made RS from Sigma.
To differentiate Bonerge’s testing methods and standards from others, a unique quality system has been set up BongeLov™ - which assures repeatability among labs and consistency among batches. It has been designed to offer reassurance to customers that what’s on the label is what’s inside.
Bonerge supplies a series of BeFisetin™ ranging from 50% to 99%. It is the first, and only, 99% (both purity and assay) fisetin currently on the market. The multi-specifications of BeFisetin™ make it suitable for versatile applications as diverse product specifications cater to the demands of the market.
Elevating quality, optimising costs
Prices should be compared on a like for like basis. Lower product prices are crucial for expanding the market share of all new products. For supplement companies, lower costs on ingredients mean more possibilities for R&D. For consumers, this means paying less to get products that meet their needs. As the ambassador of the health benefits of Fisetin, Bonerge is responsible for improving the quality of BeFisetin™ while lowering its costs. To make this possible, BeFisetin™ is produced under full supply chain management from raw to waste materials.
Meticulous selection of plant sources
BeFisetin™ is extracted from Rhus Cotinus L., commonly known as smoketree. Fisetin was first isolated from Rhus Cotinus L. in 1833. Rhus Cotinus L. possesses a long history of use in traditional Chinese medicine, according to a classical Chinese herbology encyclopedia, ‘Bencao Shiyi / A Supplement to Materia Medica’, from the Tang Dynasty. However, Rhus cotinus L. is exclusive to the imperial members in ancient times and it remained a rare medicinal ingredient throughout history.
Rhus cotinus L. grows widely in Asia and Europe but traditionally the part used is its trunk. However, Bonerge is committed to sustainability and eco-friendly development, the company conducted series of studies to extract fisetin from leaves and branches instead of trunks.
Continuous countercurrent extraction equipment
While the high solubility and cheap price of methanol made it a common solvent choice for fisetin extraction, it is not the same story for BeFisetin™. In order to present more health benefits to its customers, Bonerge is committed to developing a fisetin extraction method by minimising the use of harmful chemicals, like methanol.
This is achieved by choosing continuous countercurrent extraction equipment for fisetin extraction with a capacity of 3,000kg/h. The ultra-effective countercurrent extraction equipment consumes only one third of the water compared to traditional extracting equipment. The combination of countercurrent water flow and constant mixing during extraction saves energy, reduces water waste, and has minimal impact on the environment.
Upcycling the wastes
Bonerge members discover valuable natural ingredients and develop them with modern science and technologies in an eco-friendly way. The extraction waste and low-concentration extracts of BeFisetin™ are applied to agricultural and animal nutrition applications. Upcycling extraction residues and low-concentration extracts not only make the best use of natural resources but also reduce the cost of high-concentration fisetin.
Strict production environment
A strict production environment aligns with high quality fisetin. For BeFisetin™, optimising the production cost does not compromise product quality. This is achieved by the state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities. The production of BeFisetin™ takes place within a facility that is fully certified by globally recognised production standards like Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), FSSC 22000, International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Kosher, and Halal. Currently, there are limited factories in China and even globally that could meet such a high quality production environment.
Stability, safety, benefits and formula research
Product safety is at the heart of Bonerge’s mission. As a branded ingredient, a set of scientific and direct measures including preclinical and clinical studies is an ongoing process behind the development of BeFisetin™.
Beyond its role in clearing senescent cells, fisetin has many other functions including anti-inflammation, neuroprotection and improving hair growth. Bonerge is developing and discovering its new benefits via studies with BeFisetin™.
Compound medicine and formula design are at the core of Bonerge’s pharmaceutical studies. Studies of BeFisetin™ combined with Dihydroberberine and other traditional natural medicine, such as ginger extract, are being conducted concurrently and the reports will be released soon.
The trajectory from ambiguity to standardization is the journey of standards for new products. As the ambassador for high-quality fisetin, it is Bonerge’s responsibility to set and promote recognized quality standards for product formulation.
References
1. World Health Organization. (2022). Ageing and Health.
2. Lifespan.io. Senolytic Therapeutics - Senolytics.
3. Yousefzadeh, M. J.; Zhu, Y.; McGowan, S. J.; et al. (2018). Fisetin is a senotherapeutic that extends health and lifespan. EBioMedicine, 36, 18–28.