Nutraceuticals:
A new way of producing bioactive compounds from Nature that aid in human health and wellness

Nutraceuticals are more than your standard fruits and veggies

Fruits, vegetables, a number of other leafy greens and teas, in addition to microbes and animal sources of food contain a multitude of natural small molecules (natural products) that are used for human health and wellness. Often, the neutraceuticals come in a concentrated form as mixtures of naturally occurring small molecules enriched in one or a few specific molecules. 

Curcumin from turmeric or resveratrol from grapes, are examples of natural small molecules that are believed to offer specific health benefits beyond just basic nutrition. Imagine them as nature's tiny sentinels, protecting our health with potential to support immune function, improve cognitive performance, or even reduce inflammation. For example, fish oil is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, small molecules known for their potential role in heart health. 

Other examples include specific vitamins like vitamin C, and the B vitamins as well as antioxidants such as flavanoids. Isolating and concentrating specific natural compounds for use as nutraceuticals offers a way to target specific health concerns like reducing inflammation or improving cognitive function. While a balanced diet is still crucial, nutraceuticals derived from nature or other bio-based routes offer a way to harness the concentrated power of small molecule natural products for potential health advantages.

nutraceuticals

Key advantages of using exozymes for nutraceutical production

Exozymes offer a transformative approach to producing nutraceuticals because they enable efficient, scalable, and sustainable production of bioactive compounds used in food, dietary supplements, and health-enhancing products. Key advantages include:
 
  1. Precision and Efficiency: Exozymes can be engineered to catalyze specific biochemical reactions, ensuring high yield and purity of desired compounds, such as antioxidants, vitamins, or flavor molecules, without the byproducts or inefficiencies associated with cellular systems. Our ability to achieve over 95% purity today, combined with our roadmap to 99.5% pharmaceutical-grade quality, sets us apart as an industry leader.

  2. Sustainability: By eliminating the need for cell cultivation, exozymes reduce resource consumption, such as water, energy, and raw materials, compared to traditional fermentation or extraction methods.

  3. Fast Time-to-Market: Exozymes allow us to directly synthesize specific natually occurring compounds, classified as Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS), bypassing lengthy regulatory approval processes and accelerating product availability.

  4. Flexibility: Exozyme-based systems can be adapted to a wide range of feedstocks, including plant-based sugars, agricultural residues, and waste streams, making them versatile for producing various nutraceuticals tailored to specific markets.
 
With exozymes, it becomes feasible to produce rare or high-demand compounds like resveratrol (a powerful antioxidant), essential amino acids, or flavor precursors, at industrial scales. This approach aligns perfectly with the growing consumer demand for clean-label, sustainable, and functional products in the health and wellness sector.

Natural products are the original source of most neutraceuticals and drug compounds

Nature has always been humanity's medicine cabinet. Long before the rise of modern pharmaceuticals, people relied on a wealth of natural products, the very foundation of both neutraceuticals and drugs.

From Tradition to Science

Traditional medicine systems have used natural products for centuries. Willow bark, for instance, contains salicin, a precursor to aspirin. Today, science delves deeper, unlocking the secrets with nature's vast chemical library. Plants alone produce a staggering array of secondary metabolites – unique molecules with diverse biological activities.

These include:

  • Alkaloids: Like morphine, a pain reliever found in poppies.
  • Terpenes: Curcumin, the anti-inflammatory powerhouse from turmeric, is a terpene.
  • Phenolics: Resveratrol, with its potential heart-healthy benefits, is a phenolic compound from grapes.

Marine organisms and even microorganisms are additional treasure troves for bioactive compounds offering promising health benefits.

While these natural products offer immense potential, limitations associated with their production are real. They can be expensive and difficult to modify for specific needs. Our exozyme platform addresses these challenges by creating both existing and new compounds using natural or modified starting materials, leveraging nature's strategies in a controlled environment: Nature Simplified.