SupplySide West: New Spearmint Ingredient for Brain Health, Plus Sustainable Rosemary

A new spearmint-based brain-health ingredient is debuting at SupplySide West this week, courtesy of supplier Kemin (Des Moines, IA). Neumentix Phenolic Complex K110-42 is a proprietary phenolic complex sourced from Kemin’s own-grown, patent-pending, non-GMO spearmint.

The company will introduce new clinical trial data at SupplySide West showing that Neumentix aids working memory and other aspects of cognitive performance. Subjects-adults with age-related associated memory impairment-in the 12-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study exhibited better overall working memory after taking Neumentix compared with placebo, according to the Cognitive Drug Research Battery test. The dietary supplement ingredient may also work as a sleep aid, per subjects’ questionnaire responses.

Kemin’s plant scientists developed the patent-pending, non-GMO, U.S.-grown spearmint using traditional plant-breeding methods.

Last month, the company made another announcement: that its rosemary production is now sustainably certified by SCS Global Service. Kemin said the rosemary is now the world’s first and only to be certified sustainable by a third party. The certification encompasses environmental and social responsibility, as well as quality and safety requirements.

Kemin said it invested millions of dollars to develop its sustainable rosemary production. “Using conventional plant breeding, the company develops proprietary lines of rosemary that generate raw material for a range of natural rosemary extract-based ingredients for the food, pet food, health, and personal care industries,” the company said via press release. It said it now has more than 1100 acres of conventionally bred and genetically identical rosemary plants.

“The sustainable, agronomic path Kemin has chosen differs greatly from a popular but less widely known approach,” the company added. “Approximately 80% of rosemary that is used as a spice or for extraction is harvested from the wild in the Mediterranean region of southern Europe and North Africa under license from sovereign governments. This dramatically alters the natural ecology of these delicate semi-arid ecosystems and produces widely varying quality in the product.”

The company said its partnerships with farmers in Texas and New Mexico boosts the quality and quantity of its crops.

Jennifer Grebow
Editor-in-Chief
Nutritional Outlook magazine jennifer.grebow@ubm.com

Photo © iStockphoto.com/Dirk Richter