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A barley extract discovered by New Zealand scientists is being used in a new health product range launched by a giant Italian food company.
Crop & Food Research subsidiary GraceLinc said the product, called Glucagel, was a high-purity barley beta-glucan extract which could slow down the absorption of cholesterol, glucose and fatty and bile acids, while acting as a prebiotic to help to maintain a healthy digestive system and enhance natural immunity.
Italy-based food multinational Barilla had selected the ingredient for use in bread and brioche products targeted at cardiovascular health as part of a new healthy food range.
Crop & Food chief executive Mark Ward said the deal was an excellent commercial outcome.
"This product is the result of a new technology developed by New Zealand scientists over many years," Ward said.
GraceLinc chief executive John Morgan said the natural extraction process used time, temperature and mechanical separation rather than chemicals.
"This process and the product that comes out of it is a New Zealand discovery," Morgan said. "People knew about beta-glucans but high-purity extracts have been extremely hard to produce. They cracked something that was quite difficult."
The deal was worth more than $1 million but the global potential of the product was much larger, he said.
"It's hundreds of millions, in my opinion, in the future. [Barilla] are a $5 billion multinational company and this launch is important to them."
Barilla had invested €10 million ($19 million) and three years in the new health food range.
Glucagel also had functional benefits and could be used in a wide range of food products to replace ingredients, including fat and carbohydrates, Morgan said.
The company employed 20 people at a factory in Christchurch and was talking to potential investors.
"Our ambition is to have a big plant in New Zealand."
Morgan said the company had begun supplying Glucagel, which took years and millions of dollars to develop, to an Australian drinks maker and for use in dietary supplement capsules in North America. It had patented the product and manufacturing process in many countries.
"We are in the early stages of what could be a significant new ingredient category."
