Month: May 2019

Kerala, India, 10 April 2019 – Arjuna Natural Ltd. has been granted a new patent in Europe for its applied technology of improving the bioavailability of curcumin in its BCM-95® (Curcugreen®) formulation and a leading product in its broad portfolio of natural ingredients.
The new patent enables Arjuna to further expand its strong hold in 20 additional countries across Western and Eastern Europe. It is already a leading brand in the United States and is protected by 49 patents (14 in the US, 2 in Japan and 33 in European Countries) for composition and manufacturing processes of curcumin extract. The patented formulation provides biologically active curcumin with essential oil of turmeric. The 100% natural formulation is extensively backed by over 55 published studies worldwide and several on-going studies for its therapeutic activity on multiple health indications, making it unparalleled in the segment.

“The composition of BCM-95® (Curcugreen®) contains only turmeric based components and no synthetic or non-turmeric ingredients,” says Benny Antony, PhD, Joint Managing Director for Arjuna. “This composition of turmeric delivers free curcumin into blood and is retained in the body for longer duration,” notes Antony.

This patent in effect helps to address much confusion in the market regarding curcumin absorption and oral bioavailability. The main problem of curcumin is that it is not absorbed nor retained well in the blood streams. Yet, the market has subsequently been flooded with curcumin products laden with synthetic additives in attempts to overcome the issue of bioavailability. Also it is observed that many brands are toll manufactured at production centers not complying to cGMP standards.

“Any supplement you put into your body should be both safe and effective,” insists Antony. “Arjuna’s BCM-95® (Curcugreen®) is wholly manufactured in its own facility under a fully automated cGMP complied continuous extraction plant—using only solar power. This has enabled Arjuna to triple its manufacturing capacity in Coimbatore, India to meet the growing demand for their brand of curcumin in the coming years.

The success of BCM-95® (Curcugreen®) has enabled Arjuna to rev up its marketing activities and cement its foothold in the European market as well as in the USA. “With the mobilization of our dedicated sales force we hope to increase our market reach significantly in the coming years.” Says P.J Kunjachan, Chairman & Managing Director. BCM-95® (Curcugreen®) enjoys GRAS status as a pure and trusted brand for use in medical foods following a comprehensive review by a panel of qualified experts.

From today, SIG will offer the world’s first aseptic carton packs that use foil certified to the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) standard. This will add value for customers, brands and retailers by promoting responsible sourcing throughout the value chain – from suppliers all the way through to consumers.

SIG customers will also have the option to include the ASI label on packs to show consumers that SIG sources responsibly the aluminium it uses in the cartons – in the same way they can already include the FSCTM label on any SIG pack to show that the liquid paper board comes from responsible sources.

Ian Wood, Chief Supply Chain Officer at SIG: “SIG is once again leading the industry in offering customers new ways to demonstrate their commitment to responsible packaging. Achieving ASI certification across Europe takes us another important step towards our target to source 100% of our key materials from certified sources.”

SIG was the first in the industry – and one of the first companies in the world – to achieve certification to the ASI Performance Standard Material Stewardship Principle at the corporate level, together with the ASI Chain of Custody certification for its production site in Austria. The company has now extended ASI Chain of Custody certification to all its carton sleeve production sites in Europe.

The ASI certification enables companies to audit the aluminium supply chain against strict standards on a broad range of ethical, environmental and social topics. Previously, there was no such certification available to certify the ultra-thin layer of aluminium foil used in SIG packs. SIG’s ASI Chain of Custody certification has made it possible for the ASI Standard to be put into practice for the first time in aseptic carton packs.

Dr.Fiona Solomon, CEO at ASI: “SIG’s leadership in achieving this duel ASI Certification sends a strong signal that responsible aluminium sourcing is an important strategy for the packaging sector. The option of on-pack labelling will also offer the opportunity to get the message on responsible aluminium out to consumers.”

Europe-wide ASI certification is an important step towards SIG’s target to source 100% of its key materials from certified sources as part of its ambition to go Way Beyond Good for the environment and society.