Anti-stress ingredient: Japan approves Robertet FFC claim for melon juice concentration
Extramel is the active ingredient found in the food supplement, Yasuragi Life, which is manufactured by Zeria Healthway (Zeria Pharmaceutical Group).
With the approved FFC claim, Zeria is allowed to put the health claim ‘Reduces the perceived stress of everyday life, and physical and mental fatigue’ on their final product in Japan.
Extramel is a melon juice concentrate obtained from a proprietary Cantaloupe variety in France. It is naturally rich in SOD, an antioxidant.
Yasuragi Life is a health food, in the format of hard capsules. It is currently only available online, but will retail in drugstores soon.
Thomas Ughetto, sales and marketing director at Robertet told NutraIngredients-Asia: “The supplement (Yasuragi Life) is targeted to the general population who are experiencing troubles associated to stress.”
Scientific studies
Extramel efficacy on stress and its associated symptoms have been demonstrated in two double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled clinical studies.
One study found that Extramel significantly reduces perceived stress by 22% after 28 days (p<0.01). The Extramel treatment group had a Perceived Stress Scale 14 items (PSS14) score of around 23, while the placebo group had a score of 30.
In the same study, the Extramel group also had a significantly lower Ferrerri Anxiety Rating Diagram (FARD) score of 2.5, compared to the placebo group’s score of around 6.5 (p<0.05). FARD is a quantitative and qualitative evaluation of anxiety.
In another study, Extramel was found to significantly improve mental focus by 13.9% after 28 days, and the effect was maintained and emphasised over time, reaching 21% after 84 days.
These studies showed that Extramel significantly promotes a sense of well-being by helping to maintain a healthy balance between emotional and physical performance.
Ughetto said 10mg of Extramel is sufficient to observe the effects, the same dosage as recommended in the clinical studies.
Claims in more countries
According to Robertet, the entire registration for Extramel as an FFC ingredient in Japan took four years.
Ughetto told us the company was planning on registering Extramel in South Korea.
“Our goal is to get approved health claims from the Korea Food & Drug Administration (KFDA) for the reduction of stress. We are still working on the claims wording.”
Elsewhere, Extramel is registered as a natural health product in Canada. The company is also in the midst of registering it in Brazil.
