Brightseed introduces AI-backed bioactives to first-of-its-kind dietary fibre
Brightseed Bio 01 is a dietary hemp fibre – sourced from upcycled hemp hulls – and the only dietary fibre on the market to contain two bioactive compounds for a double whammy to combat the fibre gap.
Dietary fibre is an essential part of a healthy diet for consumers of all ages. There is strong evidence that eating fibre daily lowers the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer. It is also crucial to maintain gut health, helping digestion, preventing constipation and fighting obesity, however, only 5% of American adults consume the recommended 30g daily intake.
Brightseed Bio 01 goes one further, by adding a double punch of both dietary fibre and bioactives to applications like cereals, nutrition bars and functional beverages. It has also been given the FDA's GRAS (Generally Recognised As Safe) status.
“More than ever, people are turning to the food and beverage industry for proactive and personalised health solutions,” said Sofia Elizondo, cofounder and COO of San Francisco-based Brightseed.
“We’re thrilled to launch Brightseed Bio 01, the first of many bioactive ingredients in Brightseed’s pipeline that will enable companies to innovate for health and bring science-backed solutions forward for consumers.”
It is also “the latest demonstration of how Forager AI is furthering our understanding of how bioactives found in nature are powerful catalysts to improve human healthspan,” added Elizondo.
Dark matter of nutrition
Bioactives are extranutritional constituents produced by plants, fungi and microbes that grow in and adapt to environments that present a wide range of challenges to their survival.
They are also benefit the health of humans – the enlivening caffeine in tea, the powerful antioxidant lycopene in tomatoes or curcumin in turmeric, and certain active ingredients in medicines.
Science has long known that bioactives are critical to human health, yet the vast majority remain unknown and uncharted – often referred to as the ‘dark matter’ of nutrition.
Brightseed’s proprietary artificially intelligence platform is instrumental in discovering bioactives in nature and mapping them to human health outcomes at a rate and accuracy that was previously impossible (from years to months).
Forager identified hemp hulls as the richest known source of N-trans-caffeoyl tyramine (NCT) and N-trans-feruloyl tyramine (NFT), two naturally-occurring plant compounds that help maintain and rescue impaired gut barrier function. The results of these pre-clinical trials were presented by Doug Bolster, Brightseed’s head of translational and clinical research, at the 2022 International Society for Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods Annual Conference, held in Istanbul, Turkey, at the beginning of October. He noted that clinical research studies are underway to validate this health effect.
Hemp hulls – largely a byproduct of hemp heart production – are also a rich source of dietary fibre, and it is these that Brightseed has upcycled to create Brightseed Bio 01.
Hemp heart (similar to chia and flax seeds) are themselves purported to punch in with benefits – from combatting menopause, to promoting healthy skin and supporting stronger bones – and despite being sourced from the same plant species as the marijuana plant, contain nearly undetectable levels of THC.
Formulated to optimise its bioactive content and punch in with fibre, Brightseed Bio 01 is easily integrated into a range of products. At SupplySide West 2022 (Las Vegas, 31 October-4 November), the company will be showcasing the Puris BioCrisp+, designed to deliver a nutrition-packed crunch to cereals, bars and baked goods.
The future of bioactives
“Bioactives have been missing from American diets and attention to their functions is the future of better-for-you products,” said Anna Gustafson, RDN and business development executive at Puris.
“Puris is excited to partner with Brightseed on a novel protein crisp that targets the fibre deficit and rising consumer demand for gut health solutions.”
Added Alina Slotnik, Brightseed’s VP of Bioactives, “Brightseed Bio 01 not only demonstrates how Forager is rapidly translating insights into tangible products for the marketplace, but offers a true evolution in the field of nutrition science to benefit consumer health.”
Studies:
Closing America’s Fiber Intake Gap: Communication Strategies From a Food and Fiber Summit
Authors: Diane Quagliani and Patricia Felt-Gunderson
Am J Lifestyle Med. 2017 Jan-Feb; 11(1): 80–85.
doi: 10.1177/1559827615588079
Bolster, Doug
Presented at International Society for Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods Annual Conference, October 2-5, 2022.
