Lipid Nutrition: Forging Ahead in Healthy Fats

Lipid Nutrition is a division of Loders Croklaan, Wormerveer, the Netherlands. Loders Croklaan has over 110 years of experience developing specialty fats and oils for the food and supplement industries and in 1997 Lipid Nutrition was formed. Lipid Nutrition’s mission is to utilize these fats and oils to improve the health and well being of today’s consumers. In 2002, Loders Croklaan was acquired by the IOI Group, Berhad, Malaysia, one of the world’s largest palm oil specialists. According to the company, this acquisition added a dynamic new dimension to its capabilities.

Lipid Nutrition’s portfolio of ingredients pertains to several health areas, including weight management, heart health, immune health, brain health, liver health and infant nutrition. Clarinol CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), which is geared toward weight management, is sourced from natural safflower oil and contains the highest concentration of the two most active CLA isomers—c9,t11 and t10,C12—in a 50:50 ratio. In addition to reducing body fat and increasing lean muscle mass, Clarinol CLA was the first CLA ingredient to be self-affirmed GRAS (generally recognized as safe) for use in foods. The ingredient is available in three forms: the free fatty acid form, which is typically utilized for capsules; a triglyceride form, which delivers the well-known benefits, along with a “clean” taste and easier digestibility for functional food applications; and Clarinol powder, which is specifically formulated with the triglyceride form, allowing for the fortification of taste-sensitive consumer foods and beverages.

In the heart health arena, the company offers a product called Marinol, a fish oil concentrate rich in omega 3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). All of the Marinol products offered by Lipid Nutrition can be used in dietary supplements. The advantage of increased concentration of the active components can result in fewer capsules per day, smaller capsules or capsules with combined ingredients. Marinol is considered “flavor friendly,” which means it can also be used in functional food applications.

Safflorin is a product the company developed for immunity supplements. Like Clarinol, this product is derived from an isomerized safflower oil through a proprietary process that provides the best balance of the active isomers c9,t11 and t10,c12, but in a 40:60 ratio. This enriched balance, according to Lipid Nutrition, is desirable because the active isomer t10,c12 is mostly responsible for supporting the immune system by stimulating antibody protection or stimulating the immune system directly. Ideal for capsules, Safflorin is available in a free fatty acid form.

Its product targeted at brain and liver health is called Membranol. It is sourced from soybean lecithin, which contains phosphatidylcholine (PC). According to the company, choline is the building block used to produce the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. This chemical messenger molecule seems to be heavily involved in neuron networks, which are crucial for memory. Aging is one process that may reduce the availability of neurotransmitters, such as acetylcholine. The Membranol oil for capsules contains either 30% or 35% of PC.

In the infant nutrition segment, the company offers Betapol, which im­proves fat digestion and calcium absorption. The company claims that studies in animals and newborn babies have confirmed that all the fatty acids in Betapol™—including palmitic acid—are well absorbed into the bloodstream, and that only tiny quantities are lost in the baby’s stool. This greatly improves the absorption of dietary calcium and significantly reduces the amount of calcium lost in the stools. This, in turn, produces softer stools and greater bone mineral density for infants.

Lipid Nutrition’s latest development is PinnoThin™, which targets appetite suppression. The active ingredient in PinnoThin is pinolenic acid, which is extracted from the seeds of the Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis). According to the company, PinnoThin stimulates the release of the hunger-suppressing hormone cholecystokinin (CCK), which not only helps the body digest fats better, but also sends a “full” feeling to the brain, decreasing the desire to eat.

Aat Visser, general manager, be­lieves Lipid Nutrition is headed in the right direction, as long as it continues to increase the growth of scientifically proven ingredients. In the end, however, he says the development of new innovative ingredients is especially rewarding if they have a history in supplements and can ultimately be applied to functional foods.—R.W.


Lipid Nutrition
24708 W. Durkee Road
Channahon, IL 60410
Telephone: 815-730-5200
Fax: 815-423-6744
E-mail: patrick.luchsinger@croklaan.com
Website: www.lipidnutrition.com