Artemis International on expanding ingredient portfolio and forthcoming new research: SupplySide West 2021 report

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Artemis International is known for its dark berry extracts, particularly elderberry, which has seen immense demand driven by the ongoing pandemic and concerns about immune health. However, Melanie Bush, vice president of science & research at Artemis International would argue that the company is dedicated to important flavonoids. Recently, the company entered a distribution agreement with Distillerie Bonollo Umberto S.p.A to distribute Bonollo’s Ecovitis standardized grape seed extract, an ingredient that offers something different to its customers, while also remaining in the Artemis’ wheel house.

"We are staying close to our Berryceuticals home base but diversifying where it makes sense, and where we have a really high-quality, compelling product with science behind it. We were just taken with [Ecovitis] because it’s produced with a gentle, proprietary extraction process similar to our other berries in our Craft line so it retains many of the holistic properties of what’s there to start with, and it is standardized to high levels of oligomeric proanthocyanidin complexes (OPCs),” said Bush. “The science that is ongoing is very interesting, looking at several areas including endothelial dysfunction, cell health, cardiovascular support, strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and others. It’s a very well made, high quality, clinically substantiated grapeseed extract.”

Grape seed extract is not new to the market obviously, but according to Bush, it has varied in quality, so Artemis saw an opportunity to offer customers a reliable product that sets a high bar for quality.

Shedding new light on dark berries

When it comes to Artemis International’s existing products, the company continues to pursue research to offer substantiation to relevant health benefits. At the end of November, Artemis expects to have a finished manuscript detailing new research on the eye health benefit of its black currant extract CurrantCraft. This upcoming study will expand on previous research that found 50 mg of black currant anthocyanins alleviated screen-induced visual fatigue.¹

“It’s extremely relevant for us right now because, especially due to the pandemic, we are inundated with screens and the resulting eye fatigue,” said Bush. “[The new study] is building upon prior studies done on a preliminary level. We took it to the next level, increased the population size and really honed in on this vision fatigue angle, and it has the potential to truly help a lot of people.”

Another study that is near completion will elucidate the prebiotic benefits of Artemis International’s elderberry extract, ElderCraft. The new study is affectionately nicknamed the Eldergut study.

“This study is looking at our ElderCraft extract in a novel way by demonstrating its prebiotic benefits since digestive health and immune health are closely related. Immune support is a very broad category and elderberry’s existing claim to fame has been predominately around the direct antiviral mechanisms of action and symptom reductions, and modulating the immune response,” explained Bush. Not only does the new study offer greater insight into ElderCraft functionality, but also prebiotics in general. “Existing understanding of the prebiotic category has focused on dietary fiber, but there has been an increasing understanding of polyphenols actually having prebiotic activity as well.”

The study will also bolster elderberry’s immune credentials and add to the body of research that connects immunity to digestive health.

Reference

1. Nakaishi H et al. “Effects of black current anthocyanoside intake on dark adaptation and VDT work-induced transient refractive alteration in healthy humans.” Alternative Medicine Review, vol. 5, no. 6 (2000): 553-562