Opextan food ingredient obtains GRAS status

MILAN – Indena recently announced that its olive fruit extract Opextan obtained self-affirmed GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status for use as food ingredient in a number of food categories including bakery products, beverages and beverage bases, chewing gums, coffee and tea, dietary product analogs, frozen dairy desserts and mixes, milk products, processed fruits and fruit juices, and processed vegetables and vegetable fruits, at levels up to 1,062 mg per person per day.

The product is a non-caloric standardised olive extract from the olive pulp of a specific Italian variety, and is characterised by a unique bouquet of olive polyphenols, and verbascoside, that has been shown to be the most potent antioxidant from the olive tree. Strong evidence in support of the safety of Opextan derives from the long history of safe consumption of olives and olive oil in food.

Indena is a leading company in the field of identification, development and production of active principles derived from plants, for use in the pharmaceutical, health food and personal care industries. It has 90 years of botanical experience, and more than 150 primary patents and has published more than 700 scientific studies.