Dec 9 2011 --- At this year’s FiE, Kaneka Pharma Europe highlighted various ways of incorporating its coenzyme Q10 into functional food applications. One of these was an extra virgin olive oil, developed by Costa d’Oro, called “Olisana K-Young” with high antioxidative power. Olive oil serves as a good matrix for optimal Q10 bioavailability and thus promises huge market potential for products fortified with Q10.

Already known as a healthy, antioxidant-rich ingredient that is part of almost everyone’s daily diet, olive oil becomes even more beneficial when enriched with Kaneka Q10. The Kaneka powder is tasteless, odourless and crystalline and is thus especially suitable for use in functional food applications. For use in lipid matrices such as those found in olive oil, a lipophilic and water-insoluble variant is optimal.

The “Olisana K-Young” olive oil with Q10 makes use of these technical advantages as well as the versatile health benefits of Kaneka Q10. It is currently available to importers and supermarket chains. Based on various scientific studies, it claims: “Used regularly in a balanced diet and in a healthy way of life, Olisana K-Young helps in preventing ageing and protecting organisms from free radicals.”

The oil, which is patented by Costa d’Oro, is clear and bright, and ranges from green to amber green in colour. Available in a 500 ml bottle, “Olisana K-Young” has an elevated herbaceous and flowery olfactory aroma, while the taste is full-bodied and pleasant. Acidity lies at about 0.3 per cent. Additionally to Q10, the oil contains other nutrients such as vitamin E, D and K2.

Already well known for use in supplements, Q10 is gaining more and more in importance in functional food applications. With olive oil a part of almost everyone’s daily diet, it serves as an optimal carrier for Kaneka Q10, providing consumers with an easy to take form of supplementation on a daily basis. Indeed, the presence of lipids greatly enhances the body’s ability to absorb Q10.

A completely natural substance, Kaneka Q10 is also Kosher and vegetarian. It is free from genetically-modified organisms and GRAS-approved for use in foods.

Coenzyme Q10 plays an important role in the body’s respiratory chain, an intercellular energy production process that takes place in the mitochondria. During this process, the body converts the energy it takes in with food into usable energy called ATP (Adenosintriphosphate) and supplies it to the heart, brain, muscles and everywhere else where energy is needed. Thus, Q10 is an essential part of the body’s energy supply chain and works moreover as a powerful antioxidant.

The impact of coenzyme Q10 on bodily functions is therefore wide-reaching. Research studies have shown that treatment with Q10 can improve everything from semen quality to cardiovascular function, migraine, and symptoms of neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson’s Disease. Japanese research has even demonstrated its positive impact on the influenza virus in mice.