Cevena Bioproducts: Developing Innovative Grain-Based Ingredients

With a mission to improve human health and well-being through proven and effective nutritional products, Cevena Bioproducts Inc., Edmonton, Alberta, was established in 2002 as a manufacturer and supplier of high quality oat- and barley-based ingredients for the dietary supplement and functional food markets.

“The need to incorporate fiber into our diets has never been higher,” said Kim Lucas, president and CEO, Cevena Bioproducts. “Food manufacturers are scrambling to re-spond to consumer demand for healthier, minimally pro-cessed food products.”

To help manufacturers promote a healthier lifestyle, the Cevena research and development team—headed by Dr. Thava Vasanthan and Dr. Feral Temelli from the Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science at the University of Alberta—developed Cevena’s patent-pending fractionation technology that resulted in Viscofiber. Viscofiber is the only viscous and high concentration oat and barley beta-glucan concentrate commercially available in a GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) affirmed, multi-functional ingredient.

No longer is fiber considered solely beneficial for digestion. With an en-hanced concentration of soluble fiber—12 times more than oat bran—Viscofiber offers a new solution for heart healthy consumers. In fact, Viscofiber delivers a multitude of health benefits, including improved cholesterol, improved gly-cemic response, glucose management and increased satiety for weight loss formulations.

Viscofiber’s high concentration and superior viscosity is ideal for dietary supplement manufacturers, while its great flexibility in product formulations is appropriate for functional food producers. Mr. Lucas said the ingredient could be incorporated into such products as yogurts, breads, cereals, sauces, baked goods, shakes, juices, ice creams and pastas. Most recently, Viscofiber was launched at Expo West, Anaheim, CA, in a weight loss shake called “Metabolic Reset,” manufactured by Nature’s Way, and in “Liver Cleanse,” a product from Enzymatic Therapy. According to Mr. Lucas, both products are already doing extremely well in the marketplace.

“As Viscofiber becomes broadly available, it has the ability to positively impact the health of an entire population,” noted Mr. Lucas. “We find that really exciting given the state of people’s health today in developed countries.”

Mr. Lucas went on to say that when used in various applications such as dietary supplements and fortified foods, Dr. Vasanthan and Dr. Temelli’s novel technology could also save millions in healthcare costs. “Beta-glucan, a naturally occurring soluble fiber, is known to lower cholesterol,” he said. “However, there had been no cost-effective way to extract it from oats or barley without destroying its health benefits. Dr. Vasanthan and Dr. Temelli have effectively solved the problem by developing a fractionation process that produces high-quality beta-glucan that can be priced low enough for sale as a dietary supplement or as an ingredient for foods.”

As business continues to grow for Cevena, the company has expanded its research and development department in order to continue to provide the highest possible service to its customers. Recently, it added a senior scientist and a senior chemist to its staff to meet ongoing analytical, quality control, process and product development needs. The company also has plans of adding an experienced senior product developer in order to develop “winning prototypes” for customers.

“Cevena Bioproducts will continue to provide the nutra-ceutical industry with products that are based on the latest innovation, research and technology,” said Mr. Lucas. “Our research and development team is renowned for its technological advancements. The team and its technology were even awarded the 2005 the AVAC/Dow Agrosciences/ASTech Innovation in Agricultural Science prize.”

Not only is Mr. Lucas pleased with Cevena’s scientific progress, but he is also relieved to see the nutraceuticals industry as a whole “growing up” by increasing its own use of scientific methods, providing a valuable boost to the industry’s credibility.—M.Z.

Cevena Bioproducts Inc.
8308 114th Street
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E1
Telephone: 780-436-6169
Fax: 780-436-6522
E-mail: info@cevena.com
Website: www.cevena.com