Pressure BioSciences, Inc. (PBI), a leader in the development and sale of pressure-based instruments, has announced the application of its Ultra Shear Technology™ (UST) platform for the development of more potent formulations of wide-ranging nutraceuticals. Specifically, the company reported “breakthrough results” in processing astaxanthin in extremely fine and uniform, monodispersed nano-emulsions of oil in water — for fast and efficient absorption by the water-based biochemistry of humans and animals.
It is particularly important for antioxidants to be water-soluble, allowing them to circulate freely through the blood, according to PBI. However, because astaxanthin is oil-based and intrinsically water-insoluble, oral/gastrointestinal and topical absorption is typically less than 10%. Even when it is effectively solubilized in dietary fats or provided in a lipid-based formulation, astaxanthin is typically delivered in large droplets that pass through the body with low overall absorption efficiency.
“Nanoemulsions produced by PBI’s UST platform encapsulate astaxanthin in extremely small oil droplets ranging in size from 30-60 nm in diameter,” said Gary B. Smejkal, Senior Research Scientist at PBI. “Because these particles are so small, they do not scatter light and thus appear as clear ruby red liquids that disperse freely in water or other clear beverages. The enhanced bioavailability of astaxanthin corresponding to droplet size reduction is well-established and has been published (Food Science and Technology Research, 2012).
“Our initial stability studies have shown that UST-processed Astaxanthin nano-emulsions are stable for at least four months at room temperature without any measurable change in oil droplet size, coalescence, or phase separation. We used astaxanthin as a model compound to demonstrate the power of our UST platform technology. Our approach will be readily suitable to prepare nano-emulsions of other carotenoids and a wide range of fat-soluble vitamins and dietary supplements. We believe that the implications of PBI’s UST platform for astaxanthin and for a multitude of other oil-soluble nutraceuticals will undoubtedly be dramatic in the marketplace.”
“PBI is laser-focused on exploring the opportunities for our UST platform to profoundly alter the effectiveness and competitiveness of a great number of lucrative nutraceutical products,” said Richard T. Schumacher, President & CEO of PBI. “We have already begun discussions with prospective partners worldwide who are interested in using UST for production and commercialization of astaxanthin and other nutraceutical nano-emulsions. We remain optimistic that we will meet our stated goal of releasing our initial UST-based instrument to the market before the end of 2021. As previously announced, we intend to make this system available through a lease/royalty business model.”
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