Horphag Research, Geneva, Switzerland, has launched Horphag Research Nutrition, a new division that will focus on the growing opportunities for Pycnogenol, its flagship ingredient, in the functional food and beverage sector as well as developing other nutritional ingredients. Pycnogenol is a potent polyphenol and is available in more than 700 dietary supplements, cosmeceuticals and functional food and beverage products worldwide. To lead the division, Horphag has hired two food industry executives, Markus Beba, vice president, Sales and Business Development, and David Johnston, vice president, Technical Development.

“With our double digit growth showing no signs of slowing down, there has been an overwhelming consensus to expand Pycnogenol further into the food and beverage sector, as it has already been the case in many Asian countries. Our new executives will be an essential part of building our ingredients’ future in the food and beverage industry,” said Victor Ferrari, CEO of Horphag Research.

Amongst the plethora of clinical studies supporting the efficacy of Pycnogenol, the new division will initially target two key focus areas, namely women’s health and sports nutrition. For women, Pycnogenol’s largest arsenal of clinical data supports cardiovascular and circulatory health, inside and outside beauty/skin care, and PMS and menopause symptom relief. For athletes or the physically active, the product plays a key role in vascular response to exercise by enhancing endurance during physical exertion through increasing the body’s capacity to produce nitric oxide. While this will be the initial focus of the new division, there are still tremendous growth opportunities in other health areas where Pycnogenol boasts more than 98 clinical studies on joint health, eye health, cognitive function and more.