The approved ingredient, Sinetrol, is a combination of grapefruit and orange.
It has been recognised as an ingredient which promotes body weight loss in the overweight population by South Korea’s Ministry of Food & Drug Safety (MFDS).
In response to queries from NutraIngredients-Asia, Sophie Loisel, business development director at Fytexia, revealed that the end product containing Sinetrol is expected to hit the South Korean market in early 2020.
This will be achieved via a mutual exclusivity agreement with South Korean firm RP Bio, which will incorporate the ingredient into its finished product.
Fytexia is also working with the Korean office of Japanese firm Asahi Good, which will be in charge of importing Sinetrol into Korea.
“Our partner from RP Bio is now working on their plan of development for Sinetrol in Korea.
“They will launch the ingredient as a finished product under their brand and welcome the solicitation of other Korean actors that are willing to use Sinetrol in their upcoming formulation supporting healthier body composition,” said Loisel.
Korean population study
To validate the ingredient’s efficacy in the Korean population, RP Corp, the parent company of RP Bio, had conducted a clinical study in the Korean population.
The study, which had concluded in February this year, is the first to assess the effects of Sinetrol on non-European subjects.
In the double-blind, randomised, and placebo-controlled study involving 58 subjects, it was observed that the group which took the supplement observed a significant body weight loss.
The findings are currently being submitted for publication on scientific journals.
In addition to this study, the firm had previously conducted three clinical studies in Europe involving 192 subjects.
According to the company, Sinetrol works by promoting lipolysis, the physiological energetic pathway which destocks fats accumulated as triglycerides within white adipose cells.
The ingredient also promotes the uncoupling of energy production within adipose tissue, dissipating released fats as heat.
“The beneficial effects of Sinetrol is explained by two complementary mechanisms of action. It promotes adipose cell phenotype change from white to beige, for instance, from a storing category of adipose cell, to an energy metabolism-driven adipose cell category.
“As highlighted during both an ex vivo adipose cell assay and a human clinical investigation, Sinetrol, by its action on phosphodiesterase inhibition, promotes cAMP ratio, activating both lipolysis and adipose beigeing.
“As a physiological consequence, it enhances the release of free fatty acids which are furtherly burned during thermogenesis, increasing resting energy expenditure, from beige adipose cells,” Loisel said.