03.01.08
FutureCeuticals: Follow them into the Future
In the course of over 100 years, Van Drunen Farms has become a well known entity in the food industry as a supplier of conventional and organic freeze-dried fruit, vegetable and grain ingredients. But it’s only in the last decade that the company has branched out beyond its core competency to supply functional health ingredients to the dietary supplement, functional food, nutritionl beverage, and even cosmetic industries.
In the late 1990s, Van Drunen gave birth to FutureCeuticals, a primary processor and custom developer of nutraceutical, functional food and cosmetic ingredients and formulations. Being the daughter company of a well known food ingredients company certainly has enabled it to utilize decades of experience in formulation, processing and product development.
The name “FutureCeuticals” stems from the company’s mission, which emphasizes the development of science-based, highly standardized, proprietary and patented forward-looking technologies that aspire to impact the future of human nutrition.
But FutureCeuticals came into existence for other reasons too. According to the company, it needed to fill the gap in the nutraceuticals industry for quality ingredients and patented, proprietary and custom technologies. These assets enable it to form valued partnerships with customers all over the world. Further, the company says, “These partnerships allow us to research and co-develop provocative and innovative nutraceutical ingredients, blends and finished products for companies looking to bring outstanding nutraceutical products to market.”
Today FutureCeuticals is a world leader in producing fruit and vegetable antioxidant powders, extracts and blends. But it doesn’t stop there. The company also offers complete lines of probioitics, proprietary nutritional supplements, natural antioxidants, fruit and vegetable extract ingredients, and patented whole grain fiber products.
To meet the industry’s research needs, the company recently introduced the TargeTest method of analysis, which focuses on examining food materials for acute effects on selected targets in human blood. Any effect on relevant blood markers is determined through a series of in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo tests, and the company claims published research has associated these targets with chronic health conditions. “We believe this method of measuring bioavailability is the future of research in the nutraceuticals industry, as it gives powerful and clear results on the efficacy of our ingredients and blends,” the company asserts. “The results from TargeTest research are also powerful marketing tools for customers looking to provide a quality, efficacious product.”
Given consumers’ awareness of the need for proper nutrition and an active lifestyle, health is rapidly becoming big business across a range of industries. With that comes the obligation of satisfying consumer demands for evidence that nutraceuticals are important and useful for human health. To that end, FutureCeuticals says it will continue to support research on rational blends of nutraceutical ingredients. “We see the future of the entire industry being research-oriented and we hope to be a leader in this area with our new TargeTest analysis program,” the company says. “The future is dependant upon nutritional products that have been scientifically validated and that provide real value to the consumer.”—R.W.
FutureCeuticals, Inc.
819 N. Dixie Hwy.
Momence, IL 60954
Telephone: 815-472-6853
E-mail: sales@futureceuticals.com
Website: www.futureceuticals.com
