Ethical Naturals Inc. (ENI) has been granted a U.S. patent on its whole grape extract ingredient, and the ingredient is patent-pending in China and the European Union. The whole grape extract is marketed under the brand names ORAC-15M and VinCare, and it is standardized to contain 80 percent grape polyphenols with an oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) value of 15,000 µmol Trolox equivalent (TE)/gram, according to the company. VinCare and ORAC-15M are affirmed generally recognized as safe (GRAS) and, in addition to their use in supplements, are used widely for adding antioxidant value and polyphenol content to beverages, the company says. The extract is popular for this purpose because, in addition to the high nutritional levels, the color and flavor profiles are low, which is ideal for beverage use, it adds. ENI partnered with KGK Synergize, London, Ontario, to complete a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study, which investigated the effect of ENI’s patented whole grape extract on cholesterol and antioxidant status. The study included 26 human subjects exhibiting symptoms associated with one or more of the following conditions: pre-hypertension, obesity and/or pre-diabetes. The outcome of this study demonstrated that ENI’s whole grape extract has a positive effect on increasing HDL-C and decreasing total cholesterol/HDL-C ratios in subjects after supplementation for six weeks, the company reports. Key biomarkers reflecting oxidative stress such as 8-isoprostane levels also were improved in subjects using ENI’s patented whole grape extract versus the placebo group, it adds. The extract was found to be safe and well-tolerated at a dose of 350 mg a day in the population studied.

 • Ethical Naturals Inc., 330 Sir Francis Drake Blvd.,  San Anselmo, Calif. 94960; 415/459-4454; ethicalnaturals.com.