Kemin Human Nutrition and Health Celebrates 25 Years of FloraGLO® Lutein Program

Ingredient manufacturer introduced first commercially available lutein for vision supplements to the market 25 years ago

News provided by

Kemin Industries

Oct 27, 2021, 10:00 ET

DES MOINES, Iowa, Oct. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Kemin Industries, a global ingredient manufacturer that strives to sustainably transform the quality of life every day for 80 percent of the world with its products and services, is celebrating the 25^th anniversary of its FloraGLO^® Lutein program during SupplySide West, an expo for health and nutrition industry professionals, this week in Las Vegas.

In the early 1990s, Kemin pioneered the use of lutein to support human health and has since established itself as a leader in the space. FloraGLO Lutein provides consumers with a range of benefits for vision, cognition and beauty from within. The ingredient is the most studied lutein, with over 100 clinical trials.

"The Kemin team is very excited to celebrate 25 years of our FloraGLOproducts during SupplySide West," said Tyler Holstein, Global Product Manager – Carotenoids, Kemin Human Nutrition and Health. "We are extremely proud to be the pioneers of commercially available lutein. Seeing how this product has evolved over the years is amazing and rewarding. We are pleased to mark the anniversary of FloraGLO and share this celebration with SupplySide West attendees during this week's expo."

To develop FloraGLO Lutein, Kemin investigated the potential for lutein as a dietary supplement ingredient, recognizing the gap between the typical intake of lutein in the human diet and a need for lutein in the eye health marketplace. During that time, Kemin was able to leverage knowledge and production technologies from Kemin Animal Nutrition and Health, another business at Kemin that was providing purified lutein to the animal health market.

Research confirmed the effectiveness of lutein, and the ingredient's safety was validated when FloraGLO earned GRAS status (Generally Recognized as Safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration) for multiple food and beverage categories. This led to the launch of FloraGLO, the first commercial lutein on the market.

FloraGLO Lutein has been tested in over 100 clinical trials including the AREDS2 (Age-related Eye Disease Study 2), the largest lutein supplementation study ever conducted. The study and its results showcased many of the key reasons consumers need lutein in their diet. Additionally, lutein was shown to have benefits for beauty from within and brain health.

FloraGLO Lutein has also been validated by clinical studies across all ages for improving cognitive function. With drastic lifestyle changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, the market for cognitive health ingredients saw strong growth in 2020. According to Euromonitor, between 2015 and 2020, memory and cognitive health supplements saw a compound annual growth rate of 7% globally, with the U.S. continuing to make up 42% of the full market.¹

"With over 100 clinical research trials, Kemin is devoted to finding new areas where lutein can help with our daily lives," said Holstein. "For example, FloraGLO Lutein has gained a new focus on cognitive function due to research connecting eye and brain health. FloraGLO Lutein has been shown to improve visual performance, specifically chromatic contrast, which is an important aspect in eSports where a small edge can be critical for correct target identification resulting in large gains."²

Quality bioactives from Kemin are clinically shown to support vision; cognition; immune and gut health; beauty from within; and sleep and weight management.

Click here to learn more about the Kemin line of naturally sourced functional ingredients for use in a range of dietary nutrition products, including supplements, beverages and snack foods.

About Kemin Industries

Kemin Industries (www.kemin.com) is a global ingredient manufacturer that strives to sustainably transform the quality of life every day for 80 percent of the world with its products and services. The company supplies over 500 specialty ingredients for human and animal health and nutrition, pet food, aquaculture, nutraceutical, food technologies, crop technologies, textile, biofuels and animal vaccine industries.

For over half a century, Kemin has been dedicated to using applied science to address industry challenges and offer product solutions to customers in more than 120 countries. Kemin provides ingredients to feed a growing population with its commitment to the quality, safety and efficacy of food, feed and health-related products.

Established in 1961, Kemin is a privately held, family-owned-and-operated company with more than 2,800 global employees and operations in 90 countries, including manufacturing facilities in Belgium, Brazil, China, India, Italy, Russia, San Marino, Singapore, South Africa and the United States.

Media Contact:
Carrie Livingston, Director of Media Relations, [email protected], +1 815 519 8302

REFERENCES:
¹ Oster, Matthew. "Cognitive Performance Remains Top Of Mind For Consumers." Market Research Blog, 15 Oct. 2020, blog.euromonitor.com/cognitive-performance-remains-top-of-mind-for-consumers/.
² Hammond, B. R., Fletcher, L. M., Roos, F., et al. (2014) A double-blind, placebo-controlled study on the effects of lutein and zeaxanthin on photostress recovery, glare disability, and chromatic contrast, Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 55, 8583-8589.

SOURCE Kemin Industries