PISCATAWAY, NJ - Sabinsa Corporation has been granted a third patent on Bioperine®, a proprietary ingredient developed by the company which has been clinically shown to increase the bioavailibility of nutritional supplements, thus making them more effective.

This US patent, # 5,972,382, was granted October 26, 1999. Previous patents are US patent #5,536,506, granted July 16, 1996, and Patent # 5,744,161, granted April 28, 1998.

Piperine is the active compound extracted from Black pepper which is responsible for Bioperine's bioavailability enhancing properties in nutritional compounds. The patents awarded to Sabinsa grant the company the exclusive right to offer piperine, regardless of its source, for use in nutritional compounds. Practically speaking, this means that no one can legally market or sell piperine for nutritional compounds except Sabinsa or its designated licensees.

The only clinical studies done with piperine for nutritional purposes are with Bioperine. Bioperine is the only piperine compound clinically tested for safety and efficacy. Recent studies include one published in March,1999 in the Nutrition Research Journal: Piperine Increases Serum Response Of Beta-Carotene During 14 Days Or Oral Beta Carotene Supplementation. Another study confirmed for publication in early 2000 will appear in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry on CoQ10 and Bioperine.

Bioperine was designed to address the problem of limited nutrient bioavailability, which may be caused by a variety of conditions such as old age, limited diet choices or a compromised gastrointestinal tract. "The usual way these conditions are compensated for involved increased dosage. Bioperine provides an alternative method for improving nutritional status by increasing the amount of nutrients absorbed by the body." There are a number of companies offering finished products that include Bioperine. Sabinsa requires that a licensing agreement be executed with each marketing company prior to selling Bioperine, and that the ingredient logo appear on the label to help consumers identify products containing Bioperine.

In other related news, Sabinsa was recently nominated by the New Jersey R&D Council as one of three finalists for the prestigious Thomas Alva Edison Patent Award in the Health & Medical category. This award is granted annually to recognize the worldwide impact of science and technology. Sabinsa was selected based upon its patents for the use of Bioperine.

Commenting on the events of that evening, Sabinsa President and CEO Dr. Muhammed Majeed noted, "Although we did not win the award for our category, we consider ourselves winners just for being one of the finalists. We were competing against multi-billion dollar organizations and rubbing shoulders with some of the brightest research minds in the country. This type of recognition for Bioperine puts Sabinsa in special company that transcends the boundries of the nutrition industry."

Please contact Sabinsa Corporation for more information in New Jersey at 732-777-1111 or in Utah at 801-465-8400.

Sabinsa Corporation is an application-oriented manufacturing and marketing company which manufacturers and supplies Phytonutrients, Ayurvedic herbal extracts and specialty fine chemicals used for nutritional, pharmaceutical and food products. Sabinsa distinguishes itself by its extensive research support for its customers and products, and the scientific credentials of its key technical staff.

* Bioperine is a registered trademark of the Sabinsa Corporation.