Technology describes an oil complex extracted from annatto seeds capable of preventing obesity and comorbidities
Natural from Tropical America, strongly reddish in color and widely used by Brazilians, the annatto seed was studied by researchers from Campinas State University (Unicamp) to be used in a very different way than as a seasoning in cooking. Annatto can also help prevent weight gain and comorbidities arising from obesity. “We found in the extract a potential to reduce inflammation generated by obesity, which is at the genesis of the development of comorbidities”, explains Mário Roberto Maróstica Júnior, professor who makes up the team studying the technology.
This innovation was not restricted to academic knowledge, the technology was licensed to the startup Rubian Extracts in 2015, with the help of Innovates Unicamp, for the process of obtaining the oleaginous complex using supercritical extraction technology. Subsequently, with the benefits proven, in 2019, a second patent was filed with the INPI, co-owned by Rubian and Unicamp, also with support from Inova Unicamp, and licensed again to the startup.
Rubian Extratos, founded in 2015 and graduated from Incamp, operates in the development of innovative products and processes in the area of well-being and health and its main objective is to bring technologies developed at the University to society in the form of products. Eduardo Aledo, founding partner of the startup, explains that the technology is still being studied and that this time is necessary to prove the safety and effectiveness of the complex, but results have already been found in in vivo experiments on diet-induced obesity, which showed the benefits in reducing and preventing obesity. “We are counting on the support of the PIPE II Program, the FAPESP, and in the process of improving the extractive process, pre-clinical tests and toxicological tests”, he says.
The risks of obesity
According to data released by National Health Survey 2019 carried out by IBGE, obesity affects around 41 million Brazilians over the age of 18, equivalent to one in every four people.
Obesity is also a precursor to the development of several diseases, such as hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. Therefore, the technology proposed by the researchers, which is an oily complex extracted from the annatto seed (bixa orellana), has strong potential to be applied as an input or final product of supplements and medicines that can be indicated for these millions of people.
Maróstica and Aledo explain that the complex being studied has anti-inflammatory action and an antioxidant role, essential points for the treatment of comorbidities caused by obesity. “We found promising results in reducing lipid levels related to cholesterol, reducing fat in the liver and modulating the glycemic level”, says the founding partner of Rubian Extratos.
Sustainable and safe process
Obtaining the extract is a sustainable process, extracted by supercritical fluid, in which CO2 is conducted at specific pressure and temperature, that is, in supercritical condition, thus selectively obtaining the bioactives in the oleaginous complex. This method is a clean technique because, as Aledo says, “it does not use solvents that are toxic to health, does not degrade bioactives and is made with carbon dioxide (CO2), which is later recovered to be reused”.
Regarding the safety of the extract, some toxicity tests were carried out using the activity of liver enzymes (alkaline phosphatase, AST, ALT), to check whether there were any side effects of using the oleaginous complex on the patient's health. Preliminary results show that the product can be applied without risk. “We found no side effects at the dose tested,” says Aledo.
Expectations for the complex
The startup, which already launched a product to the market, coming from a technology also licensed from Unicamp, seeks to introduce the oily extract extracted from the annatto seed into the market in different nutraceutical, food and pharmaceutical formulations. “It is very likely that the product will reach the consumer market as a powder or as an encapsulated oil, with the recommended daily dose”, explains Aledo.
By presenting a potential antioxidant, hypocholesterolemic and anti-inflammatory agent, he concluded that the extract has fundamental attributes in controlling obesity and its comorbidities, as Maróstica explains: “The extract contains a complex of bioactive compounds, formed by tocotrienol, geranylgeraniol and fatty acids. , soluble in fats. We carried out tests to verify the effects and functionality of these extracts in preventing obesity.”
original article published on the Unicamp Innovation Agency website.
