The Italian manufacturer of active ingredients derived from plants has presented two of its most important recent developments — Anthocran Phytosome and Relissa Melissa Phytosome — at the 2023 edition of in-vitality, the tradeshow dedicated to nutraceutical products, which was held in Milan on 22-23 November 2023, in conjunction with Making Cosmetics.

New active nutraceutical ingredients

Anthocran Phytosome is Indena’s cranberry extract, a health food ingredient based on the company’s Phytosome formulation proprietary technology. Anthocran Phytosome boasts a unique phytochemical characterization; it is standardized in proanthocyanidins and contains the full polyphenol profile of natural cranberry, including flavonols, anthocyanins and phenolic acids, thus offering all of cranberries’ virtues.

Relissa - Melissa Phytosome is a lemon balm extract from Melissa officinalis. This new standardized botanical ingredient has been clinically validated as support to emotional and sleep health. Also formulated with Indena’s Phytosome technology, it is introduced as “a new way to balance mood and manage stress.” According to the company, scientific evidences confirm that Relissa - Melissa Phytosome gives 24 hours of wellbeing, activating a virtuous circle: sleeping better causes positive thoughts and feelings, which allows to keep stress and anxiety under control. This means having a better mood and a better quality of life.

Moreover, according to Indena, Relissa - Melissa Phytosome has good interaction with microbiota, has enhanced effect on physiological GABA pathway, and is efficacious for radical scavenging and has high tolerability.

Sustainability challenges

In-vitality was also the occasion for Indena to share its vision on sustainability, and specifically on supply chain management.

Renato Iguera, Medicinal Plants Purchasing Manager at Indena made a presentation focused on that topic. “The sustainability of wild plant species’ supply chains is increasingly at the centre of attention, also due to greater sensitivity of consumers and of regulatory authorities. The peculiarity of these supply chains represents a challenge for companies and it is important to understand which tools and actions are available for an effective risk analysis and to guarantee sustainable and certified supply chains,” he explained.