In Brief

--Ecuadorian Rainforest LLC (Belleville, NJ) relaunched its Web site on August 1. The Web site, located at www.intotherainforest.com, includes a monthly video blog, interactive polls, and real-time news.

--Improve USA Inc. (Desoto, TX) completed an expansion of its Proeza processing facility in Jaumave, Mexico. The expansion, Improve’s third in four years, creates a 67,000-sq-ft facility dedicated to processing the company’s DaltonMax700 dehyrated Aloe vera powder. In addition to providing the capacity to process 80 tons of leaves per day, the facility also houses R&D and microbiology labs, along with 10 stainless-steel low-vacuum drying units.

--Farbest Brands (Montvale, NJ) and BioGin Biochemicals (Chengdu, China) formed an alliance to leverage their national sales and distribution networks to market omega-3s in North America. The BioGin line of omega-3 fatty acids contain a broad range of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and alpha linolenic acid (ALA) from fish and flax seed oils, while AlaLife ingredients contain concentrated amounts of omega-3s.

--Fenchem (Chino, CA) achieved a 10% sales increase in the United States market from January to June, compared with the same period in 2007. To accommodate increasing demand, Fenchem is expanding its China factory’s production capacities, focusing on the production of Tocovet vitamin E and Cholevel phytosterols.

--Gencor Pacific Inc. (Anaheim, CA) received U.S. patent 7,390,516 for its Slimaluma Caralluma fimbriata extract. The patent covers “caralluma extract products and processes for making the same.”

--Sensus (Roosendall, The Netherlands) launched a new Web site that describes the latest information about inulin and chicory, as well as their use in various applications. The Web site is located at www.sensus.nl .

--Lonza (Allendale, NJ) appointed Seltzer Ingredients (Carlsbad, CA) and Pharmachem Laboratories (Kearny, NJ) as distributors for its Carnipure brand of L-carnitine. The appointments will enable Lonza to reduce shipping time and provide regional technical support.