Pharma meets food as science merges

In a bid to improve the delivery of micronutrients as supplements in processed foods US company BioDelivery Sciences International has initiated a collaboration project with a food processor in the United States.

In the past BioDelivery Sciences has focused its development efforts on applications of its technology to pharmaceuticals and vaccines. In a statement this week the company said that it now believes that other, non-prescription, commercial applications of its technology may be possible. BioDelivery Sciences' patented delivery vehicle is a naturally occurring lipid (phosphatidylserine) that can be obtained from soy.

BioDelivery Sciences and the food processor, not revealed in the statement this week, are studying the use of the Bioral nanotechnology to improve delivery of fragile micronutrients, such as antioxidants.

Attempts to add antioxidants as a supplement to human and pet foods are frequently frustrated by the susceptibility of antioxidants to degradation during manufacturing and storage, BioDelivery states this week. The company added that its nanotechnology could protect antioxidants from this degradation. Initially, BioDelivery Sciences is collaborating in a feasibility study to determine the ability of its Bioral cochleate technology to deliver micronutrients in processed foods for pets. The US company concluded that in addition to antioxidants, there are other micronutrients that could benefit from nano-encochleation, such as Omega-3 fatty acids.