Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.-based SweeGen announced that its next-generation Bestevia Rebaudioside M (Reb M) stevia sweetener is in its final phase before the European Union (EU) publishes the approval in a few months. Commercialized in 2017, Bestevia Reb M and SweeGen is fast tracking the commercial scale-up of the non-GMO Bestevia Reb M at its manufacturing facility in Europe. The regulatory step is the last hurdle to satisfying the demand for the stevia sweetener in the EU. In conjunction with the anticipated Reb M approval, Sweegen launched its new Food and Beverage Applications Center in January in London, which will serve as a creative center to explore and discover innovative sugar reduction product development.

DolCas Biotech LLC, Landing, N.J., announced that a clinical research study establishes Curcugen as a post-exercise, anti-inflammatory curcumin formulation being primed for the sports health sector. Published in the December 2020 Proceedings of the Seventeenth International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) Conference and Expo, the double-blind, placebo-controlled study with 24 participants confirmed Curcugen’s positive anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and analgesic capacity on subjects engaging in acute exercise. Following an exercise bout, acute serial supplementation with Curcugen at 500 mg, there was improved knee range-of-motion and thigh pain tolerance when compared directly with placebo. The ingredient also has earned GRAS designation as a safe, functional food ingredient. Curcugen is poised to be featured in a comprehensive portfolio of sports supplements and post-workout bars, shakes and beverages and to be used as an anti-inflammatory agent.