Of these, Citrin® 65 adds to our popular Citrin® line of ingredients for weight management support. This product is designed to meet the needs of customers who require a Garcinia cambogia extract standardized to 65% (-) hydroxycitric acid. The product is available both in regular and directly compressible (DC) grades.

Citrin® is Sabinsa’s trademarked name for an unique calcium salt of (-) hydroxycitric acid ((-) HCA), an effective weight loss phytonutrient which Sabinsa Corporation was the first to standardize. To enable versatile applications of (-) hydroxycitric acid in functional food products and include the essential health benefits of the mineral potassium, Sabinsa later developed (-) hydroxycitric acid in a soluble form, as the potassium salt Citrin®K. Sabinsa Corporation introduced three new soluble salt forms of (-) hydroxycitric acid in 1998. Citrin®Mg combines the weight loss effects of (-) hydroxycitric acid with the health benefits of magnesium, an essential mineral nutrient for metabolic functions and energy release mechanisms in the body. To provide essential mineral combinations nested in a weight control product, Sabinsa introduced Citrin®Mg/K and Citrin® Ca/K. All these multifunctional products have potential applications as effective nutritional supplements, particularly in sports nutrition. Beverage grade Citrin®K with low color is also available.

Sabinsa Corporation was assigned a patent (U.S. Patent# 5,783,603), for Citrin®K in July 1998. The patent titled "Potassium hydroxycitrate for the suppression of appetite and induction of weight loss" provides methods of appetite suppression, inhibiting cytoplasmic citrate lyase, and increasing fat metabolism in obese subjects, using the potassium salt of hydroxycitric acid from Garcinia fruit.

Citrin® was the first commercially produced ingredient to effectively provide the clinically proven, well documented benefits of (-) HCA to the nutritional supplement industry. Since its introduction in 1991, it has achieved worldwide recognition as the Garcinia cambogia extract that revolutionized the use of (-) HCA for weight management. Garcinia cambogia (Malabar tamarind, Brindall berry) and the associated species Garcinia indica (kokum) have a long record of culinary use. Citrin® does not contain ephedrine or other stimulant compounds. In terms of safety and efficacy, the family of Citrin® products presently available from Sabinsa clearly offer ample (-) HCA options for use in weight management support. We encourage you to contact us about this, or any of the other products from our comprehensive nutraceuticals, cosmeceuticals and flavor & fragrance lines.

The activities of the constituent enzymes in DigeZyme® are expressed in standard FCC (Food Chemicals Codex) units.

A schematic summary of enzymatic action:


Supplemental enzymes potentially help to improve overall health and nutritional status.

Examples of improvement in nutrient levels facilitated by DigeZyme® are presented below. Groups of volunteers were given the nutrient alone, in combination with Bioperine® (Sabinsa’s patented black pepper extract that enhances nutrient bioavailability), and in combination with Bioperine® and DigeZyme®.

(Research Report, Sabinsa Corporation, 1998)

This is the third and final part of our series on Granulation basics. Input for this series was provided by Samir Nagar, Manager of Production at Sabinsa’s Utah facility.

Samir has extensive experience in formulation development, large-scale production and quality assurance in the Pharmaceuticals industry, with expertise in sustained release products and spray granulation technology. In the previous articles in this series, we discussed wet granulation and compaction processes. In the last part of this series, we discuss spray granulation.

Fluid bed processing technology was introduced to rapidly dry powders and granules. The process was modified for granulation and particle coating by the addition of spray nozzles. There are various designs of spray granulation equipment but basically all of them have a coating chamber, air distribution plate and a spray system.

In normal operation material to be granulated is fluidized. Binder solution or solvent is sprayed on the fluidized material. The particles become wet and aggregate with other particles as they become heavy they start falling and roll down on the sides of bowl. This gives them a spherical shape and better density. Particles can be coated with different polymers or actives in polymers and it can be used to modify characteristics of granules.

Lubricants can be added to the granules at the end of the process in the same container making it almost a single step process.

Some of the major advantages of this method include single pot processing, minimal dust and cross contamination issues, close particle size distribution, excellent flow of granules, use of less binder and hence better dissolution. The method is also popular for many fast dissolving products and sustained release products.

The machines are highly automated and hence need minimal human intervention. This makes it easy to reproduce the process without variations.

Sabinsa has SS314 top spray granulators. The equipment can handle aqueous or organic solvents and has HEPA filters for inlet air. HEPA filters filter incoming air of any contaminants.

Sabinsa has successfully granulated a variety of products using this machine. Free trial on customer material for batches under 50 Kg on this machine are available with prior appointments. Sabinsa also helps to formulate products and gives a wide selection of choice for the right granulation technology. Better granules mean better compressibility, better tablet parameters and reproducibility.

A research article on Tetrahydrocurcuminoids for cosmeceutical use, titled: “Multifunctional Ingredients : The Novel Face of Natural” appears in this month’s issue of Cosmetics & Toiletries magazine.