Vitaquest welcomes new CEO

Vitaquest International LLC, a contract manufacturer of dietary supplements and nutraceuticals and a member of the CK Life Sciences International Inc. group, announced the appointment of Tim Condron as CEO. Condron brings more than two decades of executive leadership in regulated manufacturing environments, with a proven record of scaling operations, building high-performance teams, and driving sustained commercial growth, the company says. “Tim’s combination of regulatory expertise, operational rigor, and commercial leadership makes him ideally suited to build on the strong foundation Vitaquest has established,” said Alan Yu, deputy chairman of CK Life Sciences, in a statement. “We are confident he will accelerate the company’s growth, deepen customer partnerships, and continue to deliver exceptional value across the organization.” Condron joins Vitaquest from BestCo Inc., where he served as President and Chief Operating Officer. During his tenure, he led a significant strategic transformation as the organization evolved from food-standard confectionery manufacturing to full compliance with FDA drug and supplement regulations. “Vitaquest has built a strong reputation for quality, innovation, and partnership across the supplement industry,” said Condron. “As we move forward, our focus is clear: putting our customers at the center of everything we do, delivering disruptive innovation that fuels their growth, and continuing to build a workplace where our people can thrive. I look forward to working closely with our customers and our team to shape the next chapter of Vitaquest’s success.”

OSF Flavors develops protein masking technology

OSF Flavors, which specializes in custom food and beverage flavors based on natural and organic ingredients, has developed a “full sensory experience” approach to protein masking technology in categories that present challenges for manufacturers such as beverage, dairy and bakery products. The masking technology works through complementary mechanisms by blocking sensory receptors, modulating nerve signals, balancing flavors, reducing bitterness and astringency, improving mouthfeel, and even leveraging trigeminal effects. “Taste experience is a complex process where the brain integrates signals from taste buds, smell receptors, and the trigeminal nerve to create a complete flavor,” said Pierre Battu, managing director for Asia at OSF Flavors, in a statement. “Our approach to masking technology makes protein-enriched products more acceptable and commercially viable, especially for challenging applications, by viewing taste perception as a holistic interaction between flavor, smell, texture and neurobiological responses.” The approach is designed to prevent sensory receptors of off-notes by neutralizing them at the source; modulating taste to mask off-notes and influencing perception by activating taste receptors and enhancing overall palatability through the balance of acidity and astringency; reducing the perception of bitterness and creating a mouthfeel by coating the tongue and modulating flavor release; balancing flavors through the use of aroma molecules that can inhibit the perception of off notes as a competitive aroma; and leveraging the trigeminal effect to enhance taste perception through the use of stimuli. The technology enables a natural and organic solution to protein masking that is highly soluble and stable through a well-controlled formulation, the company says.

NutriLeads release clinical study on prebiotic fiber Benicaros

NutriLeads announced new findings from a human clinical study demonstrating that its precision prebiotic fiber Benicaros supports the repair of nasal epithelial cells following a viral challenge. These cells form a critical first line of defense in the airways. Published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Medical Virology, the findings are based on transcriptomic analysis of samples collected during a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled human trial using a rhinovirus challenge model. The analysis provides new insights into how Benicaros, a carrot-derived rhamnogalacturonan-I (cRG-I), helps support the body’s response to upper respiratory tract infections. Nasal epithelial cells line the inside of the nose and act as a protective barrier against airborne pathogens. When viruses infect these cells, they hijack the cell’s machinery to replicate and spread. The new analysis shows that Benicaros helps regulate the expression of genes involved in both the body’s early anti-viral immune responses and the pathways that affect the repair of nasal epithelial cells in the subsequent recovery phase. The data suggests that dietary supplementation with Benicaros is associated with a more effective response to infection. “This study helps us better understand how Benicaros works at the cellular level,” said Sue McKay, Ph.D., nutrition and health manager at NutriLeads, in a statement. “By supporting both the body’s initial response to viral exposure and the recovery of the airway barrier, Benicaros helps maintain the integrity of one of the body’s key lines of defense.”