As the debate over foods containing genetically modified organisms – or GMOs - continues to ramp up across the country, one Savannah company has quietly taken the lead in developing a non-GMO plant product that is also heart healthy.
Savannah-based Arboris, LLC, one of the world’s leading producer of cholesterol-lowering plant sterols, recently introduced Protanica – a verified non-GMO product – to the North American market.
The movement towards non GMOs in the U.S. follows Europe’s longer established market trend, where many EU countries prohibit some or all genetically modified organisms in their foods and Protanica has been in use as a functional food ingredient for several years.
“We are extremely proud of our growth and expansion, both globally and in North America, and are very optimistic going forward that our functional food ingredients will be adopted by more and more food companies in the U.S. and abroad,” said Manuel Canales, president and CEO of Arboris.
Plant sterols are renewable, naturally occurring compounds produced by pine trees. They have been shown in human trials to reduce LDL – or “bad” cholesterol - by as much as 10 percent, prompting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to approve the following health claim:
“Foods containing at least 0.4 grams per serving of plant sterols eaten with meals or snacks for a daily total intake of 0.8 grams as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease.”
Protanica, designed to be used in heart-healthy food products and supplements, is compatible with both organic and non-GMO certified foods. In addition to being clinically tested and demonstrated to be safe and effective, Protanica also is endorsed by the American Heart Association.
Canales said he expects continued acceptance and adoption of plant sterols as a functional food ingredient in North America and believes that, in time, an increasing number of food products – including dairy beverages, cookies, yogurts, smoothies and other items – will include sterols in their offerings.
“We are seeing an increased interest among food manufacturers looking to increase the heart-healthy cholesterol-lowering
properties of their products,” he said. “Protanica is a supported product offered to food manufacturers and retailers to help the formulation and launch of such products.”
Celebrating 10 years
This week, Arboris will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the opening of its Savannah sterols plant with a series of events, including a tour of its newly updated facility and other events for company owners and their families visiting from Chile, as well as an appreciation luncheon for its employees.
The company began in 2001 as a joint venture with Arizona Chemical Co., which operates a tall oil bio-refinery and technology center adjacent to International Paper Co.
Arboris owned the emerging technology to manufacture phytosterals — the pine-tree extract used in cholesterol-reducing drugs — while Arizona Chemical produced the raw materials needed for the process.
As part of the agreement, Arboris would build its plant on land owned in Savannah by Arizona Chemical. In return for a free lease and staffing of the facility, Arizona Chemical received a 10 percent interest in the business and became its exclusive supplier.
In late 2011, Arboris — which was growing exponentially — bought Arizona Chemical’s stake in the company, as well as the property, but extended the supply agreement between the two companies.
Arboris now has two plants, one here and another in Ohio, each with its own function in the process, Canales said.
“Our Savannah plant is the industrial site, the largest in the world for this process,” he said. “Here, we take the raw paper mill pine byproducts, which contain about 12- to 15 percent sterols and concentrate those to about 70 percent sterols. That product is then shipped via dedicated trucks to our plant in Ohio, where the product is turned into a 99.9 percent food-grade powder.”
While the purification process takes place largely in Ohio, both plants conform to FDA standards, he said.
Growing exponentially
The Savannah plant has recently undergone a major renovation, which Canales says is nothing new.
“This company has grown so much, it seems as if we have been expanding almost since the plant was built,” he said, adding that the latest renovation adds a much-needed separate office area.
“We are getting more and more visitors, both from big companies and other countries interested in the product,” he said. “The factory just had a little lobby area, which wasn’t really conducive to conversations.”
Of the company’s 64 employees, 38 are in Savannah.
“Our employees are the heart of our company,” Canales said. “We feel that we have selected and trained the very best, from management to hourly.
“Every manager knows you are only as good as your people, and I’m extremely proud of our engaged and productive workforce. I’ve been around for a long time, and I’ve never had a better team.”
As for expansion plans, Canales says the company is good for the near future.
“We have nearly doubled our capacity in the last three years,” he said. “What we have in place here and in Ohio should hold us through 2015.
“After that, we’ll re-evaluate.”
THE STORY ON STEROLS
Plant sterols, or phytosterols, are naturally occurring plant molecules similar to cholesterol. In the intestines, plant sterols interfere with cholesterol absorption, meaning less cholesterol passes into the bloodstream.
A 1995 study in the New England Journal of Medicine reported that ingesting 2 grams of plant sterols a day for a year lowered LDL cholesterol by 14 percent and total cholesterol by 10 percent. A later study supported the finding, which correlates to a 25-percent reduction in the risk of heart disease.
The American Heart Association recommends plant sterols for adults with high total or LDL cholesterol, or those who have been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease. The National Institutes of Health’s most recent cholesterol treatment guidelines recommend the use of 2 grams a day of plant sterols or stanols for enhancing LDL-lowering treatment plans.
And the American Dietetic Association recommends eating sterol-containing foods along with a healthy diet as an easy way to lower LDL cholesterol.
Plant sterols can be found naturally in small amounts in many grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds. Since they have powerful cholesterol-lowering properties, manufacturers have started adding them to foods. You can now get stanols or sterols in margarine spreads, orange juice, cereals and even granola bars.
Among the more widely recognized products fortified with sterols are Minute Made Premium Heartwise orange juice, Smart Balance HeartRight milk and VitaBrownies.