Nor-Feed's dry grape extract first additive of its kind authorised in EU

 

The dry grape extract Nor-Grape® 80, which is developed and commercialised by Nor-Feed, becomes the first botanical sensory additive authorised for animal nutrition by the European Commission, the company says.

 

Nor-Feed is recognised for its work on grape extract characterisation and standardisation, which started shortly after the company was established back in 2003.

 

The European Commission's decision was voted unanimously by the Plants Committee of the Animal Nutrition & Veterinary Medicines (ANVM) during a regulatory session on 14 and 15 November 14-15 last year. It was preceded by a supportive opinion published by the European Food Safety Authority Scientific Committees in June 2016 and the evaluation of Nor-Feed methods of analysis by the European Reference Laboratory (EURL) in March 2016.

 

The EFSA had stressed the efficacy and safety of the use of dry grape extract in animal feed.

 

Many in the animal health and nutrition industry are already using Nor-Grape 80 to "compensate for oxidative stress in animal farming" and "to bring water-soluble biological antioxidants" using Nor-Feed publications to build their own dossier.

 

Nor-Grape 80 is the first and only dry grape extract that has received authorisation from the EU, according to Nor-Feed. Its guaranteed content of several types of polyphenols particularly appeals to industry stakeholders including premixers, food manufacturers and breeders, the company adds.

 

The European Commission's decision is important in two ways. "The presence of the dry grape extract on the official European Union Register is for us - and our customers - the guarantee that our product is duly standardised and based on sound and validated scientific bases," Alexia Lepont, head of Nor-Feed Quality and Regulatory Affairs, says. "To our knowledge, there is no other product based on grape extract being currently evaluated by EFSA."

 

Additionally, since the authorisation was based on the results provided by Nor-Feed, it is the company methods of analysis and characterisation of active substances (total polyphenols, proanthocyanidins, and anthocyanins) which will be used for the evaluation of possible future grape extracts looking for the same authorisation.

 

Grape extracts are an essential R&D topic at Nor-Feed and have been for more than 10 years. Paul Engler, R&D manager of the Nor-Grape range, is conducting his PhD thesis on this issue on the SONAS laboratory of the University of Angers.

 

Nor-Grape 80 is today one of Nor-Feed scientific and commercial pillars. Numerous trials are being carried out to further confirm the benefits of the product. Sold in over twenty countries worldwide, it is entering the composition of more than 10 million tonnes of complete feed.

 

- Nor-Feed