Solveat, a food technology startup company based in Tel Aviv, has introduced a new composition of eight herb extracts formulated to help maintain healthy blood sugar levels when used as part of a regular diet.
 
The company partnered with a functional chocolate company in order to showcase its first proof of concept at Fi Europe in Frankfurt, Germany, at Booth 3.0L151, in which the ingredient will be featured in a chocolate bar prototype.
 
Udi Peretz, founder and CEO of SolvEat, was motivated to create a functional chocolate supplement after receiving a prediabetes diagnosis. Peretz found that the herbs were incredibly bitter, and a significant amount of effort was needed to include them in functional food preparations.
 
An Eight-Herb Complex
 
The patent-pending ingredient combines eight herbs, including golden thread (Coptis chinensis), Chinese foxglove (Rehmannia glutinosa) and Hawthorn berries (Crataegus pinnatifida), which work to support blood sugar balance, the company reports.
 
“Our botanical formula takes inspiration from the wisdom of various schools of traditional herbal medicines emanating from the East and West,” said Tal Naveh, SolvEat co-founder and director of herbal medicine. “We merge them into one all-encompassing bioactive composition that is supported by modern science. The botanicalextracts in our solution work synergistically to balance blood sugar levels through supporting various organs in the body and that’s why each is essential to the efficacy of the formula.”
 
Enhanced Glucose Uptake 
 
The formula was developed by SolvEat’s R&D team, which includes Tal Naveh, an herbal medicine specialist, and Orna Levin, MD, a clinical expert specializing in herbal product development. The two worked with Xia Long and He Yuxin, two clinical researchers specializing in traditional Chinese medicine and herbs.
 
“Several herbal sets were screened using a pharmacological model to obtain the optimal composition,” said Zacki Nudelman PhD, co-founder, CBO and scientific affairs officer of SolvEat. “With the support of leading academics in the fields of natural ingredients we used the most refined scientific methods and instrumentation to identify the dominant bioactive compounds in each botanical extract, as well as their synergism of action as one formula.”
 
An in vitro analysis found that the composition had a sugar-balancing effect on muscle cells, by significantly increasing the uptake of excess glucose, in a way that is comparable to insulin, the company reported. This effect was observed using a low-dose equivalent of the full-spectrum formula, indicating its potency, and higher doses didn’t elicit stronger responses.
 
Partial compositions which only utilized some of the herbs didn’t have the same effect, SolvEat reported.
 
In a preliminary observational study, the herb-infused chocolate was associated with a reduction in blood glucose ranging from 10% to 24%, in 10 of the 12 prediabetic participants. A full clinical study on the effect is in progress.
 
“Our herbal composition uses moderate doses of a broad spectrum of botanicals that work in harmony to evoke a gentle, yet powerful effect, and is suitable for daily consumption,” said Nudelman. “This also prevents the occurrence of any potential risks that might be associated with consuming high doses of botanicals. Moreover, using herbal compositions, as opposed to a single ingredient, offers a more effective, holistic, and safer approach.”
 
A Guilt-Free Chocolate Prototype
 
In partnership with the Israel-based boutique chocolatier Ornat Ltd., SolvEat will bring its ingredient to consumers in an indulgent chocolate bar prototype, with the goal of making supplementation easier to digest for consumers.
 
The dark chocolate bar prototype was sweetened with natural sugar alternatives including monk fruit. “Other botanical formulations targeting additional health categories are in the pipeline,” said Peretz. “We are also exploring multiple food applications that could act as innovative palate-pleasing carriers for our custom formulations. We expect more creations will be unveiled in the very near future.”
 
Thanks to microencapsulation, the formula can also be integrated into a variety of food applications without impacting flavor. As a result, it’s suitable for snack bars, yogurts, crackers, cookies, and other products while maintaining the integrity and bioactivity of the active ingredients after ingestion.