Valensa International: The Botanical Solutions Provider

When Valensa International, Eustis, FL, was founded in 1999, its initial focus was the saw palmetto extract business. The saw palmetto plant, among the top five dietary supplements sold today in the U.S., only grows in the Americas and is commercially harvested in the southeastern portion of the U.S. Due in part to the company’s location on a protected saw palmetto grove, Valensa has become the category leader in saw palmetto.

But there are other products in the company’s portfolio, such as Zanthin natural astaxanthin, Cranberol cranberry seed extract, AstaCran astaxanthin-cranberry seed extracts, Valerex valerian extracts, Z-Omega fish oil analogue and Amaranthol amaranth seed extract. Valensa also manufactures extracts of ginger, cassia, rosemary, oregano and black pepper. It is these diverse ingredients that allow the company to create several products that meet the health and wellness issues of today’s consumers.

As the nutraceuticals market continues to evolve, Dr. Rudi Moerck, Valensa’s newly appointed president, says the company’s products will be developed based on three core strengths—extraction, delivery and stabilization. Dr. Moerck has held senior management positions in both the pharmaceutical and specialty chemical industries, as well as having research and commercial development experience. In his new role, Dr. Moerck will lead both the technology development and new product commercialization efforts for Valensa.

Extraction: In 2002, Valensa established a “DeepExtract” ultra-high pressure supercritical fluid extraction facility at its Florida location. “Today, this facility is the only supercritical fluid extraction facility in North America devoted exclusively to production of high-value nutraceutical ingredients for the dietary supplement, functional food and cosmeceutical industries,” said Dr. Moerck. DeepExtract delivers efficacious extract material via a 100% natural process that provides for a consistent finished product.

Delivery systems: Valensa will work to make certain that the ingredients it manufactures are as usable by the human body as science will allow and nature intended. By using approaches like nanotechnology, the company will seek to mimic nature’s method of delivering the nutrients in these ingredients.

Stabilization: Valensa recently introduced the “O2B Peroxidation Blocker” technology, which is a 100% natural preservation system that protects both products and people. O2B technology enhances shelf life and product viability at the same time as it adds antioxidant functionality to all products into which it is incorporated.

Valensa’s main goal is to improve the efficacy and quality of existing market offerings through its scientific and technological strengths. This commitment was recently applied to the launch of an advanced form of policosanol called Nanocosanol. “This patent-pending nanotechnology-based product promises a higher level of biofunctionality compared to existing policosanol supplements for promoting a heart-healthy lipid balance,” said Dr. Moerck.

The policosanols used in Nanocosanol are extracted from botanical sources, including rice bran and sugar cane, using Valensa’s DeepExtract technology. It features optimized ratios of octacosanol, tricosanol and hexacosanol. These fatty alcohols are nanodispersed in omega 3 and omega 6 botanical derived extracts, such as cranberry seed and amaranth. The use of alcohol or acetone solvents is totally excluded from the process and the O2B peroxidation blocker ensures overall stability of the Nano­cosanol formulation.

While Valensa continues to grow with reputable ingredients and technology, Sid Hulse, vice president of sales and marketing, believes that the nutraceuticals industry still needs works to work harder, especially in the realm of safety and efficacy. “The industry needs to do more to assure quality in order to gain and maintain consumer trust, and to deliver perceivable benefits with the highest level of concern for the well-being of consumers,” he said. “It is clear that not enough is currently being done to control the types of materials that are being represented as high quality botanical extracts. This is particularly the case with high demand materials. For the future, greater emphasis should be placed on product identity, assays, chain of custody issues and standardized methods.”—M.Z.

Valensa International
2751 Nutra Lane
Eustis, FL 32726
Telephone: 877-876-8872
Fax: 352-483-2095
E-mail: s.hulse@valensa.com
Website: www.valensa.com