Antiviral advances: Jatcorp to launch five new immune-supporting powder formulas in Australia and China
All five products contain bovine lactoferrin and were tested by The University of Sydney for their antiviral activities.
Speaking to NutraIngredients-Asia, Andrew Sharma, head of sales and marketing, said the products would be the immunity versions of the firm’s existing brands.
Three of the five new products would be sold under the existing Jinvigorate portfolio – which currently consists of a low glycaemic index (GI) formula suitable for diabetic patients – and one each under the existing Moroka and Abbeyard brands.
The Moroka portfolio currently consists of a milk powder made of lactoferrin, immunoglobulins, and fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) while Abbeyard consists of and A2 milk for children.
Aside from lactoferrin, the formulations also contain whey protein concentrate and immunoglobulin G (Igg).
“The five new products are the extension into the immune support category for the brands which we already have in our company’s portfolio,” said Sharma, adding that the product R&D took about six to eight months.
The new products will be sold as food products and will be manufactured based on the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) and China’s GuoBiao (GB) standards in the company’s facility in Melbourne.
Having gone through an upgrade, the facility now has a monthly production capacity of one million cans.
Markets
The products will be launched in China and Australia’s pharmacies and supermarkets.
Jatcorp already has a presence in China, where its products are distributed online and offline by Suning, Shengding, Cyclone e-commerce, and Kiss Kangaroo.
In addition, the company itself also owns a retail store, known as JAT Maternity and Infant Boutique and was opened in Shanghai this year.
At the same time, the company will promote the new products to distributors who are already selling its products in Hong Kong, New Zealand, South Korea, and Vietnam.
It is also in talks with potential distributors for the Japan, US, UK, Malaysia, and UAE markets.
Anti-viral activity
Based on testing conducted by The University of Sydney, the five products are found to exhibit ant-viral activities at different levels in in vitro assay.
The formulas were tested against a number of common infectious diseases, such as influenza, herpes simplex virus, norovirus, as well as the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus (COVID-19 virus).
Interestingly, the five formulas were found to have neutralised the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus at concentrations ranging from 0.4 to 1.0 mg/ml.
“While these findings are promising, additional research is recommended for making product specific health claims,” said the report by the Centre for Advanced Food Engineering at The University of Sydney.
