So far, only a small fraction of potential, health-promoting plant-derived compounds have been recognised and utilised in the food, cosmetics, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries. Although a number of new applications are being developed for existing high-potent wild berry extracts, the spotlight is now being focused on novel sources of natural ingredients. These include Nordic pine bark and chaga, a parasitic white-rot fungus mushroom found particularly on white birch trees.
“Nature is packed with useful compounds: approximately one quarter of all new pharmaceuticals entering the market today are derived from plants, being either plant-made or plant-based. And with a mere 3% of all berries picked from Finland’s abundant supply each year, we have quite a treasure trove hidden in our forests, waiting to be put to smarter use with today’s modern science and technologies,” says Product Development Manager, Petri Lackman, at Finland-based Fenola Oy.
Approximately one quarter of all new pharmaceuticals entering the market today are derived from plants
About 50 different wild berries can be found in Finland and 37 of them are edible. Some of the most valuable berries are lingonberry, bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L., the wild Nordic version of blueberry), cranberry, cloudberry, and sea-buckthorn. The health benefits derived from these Arctic “fruits” have been well known for centuries. In the Second World War, British fighter pilots reportedly consumed bilberry jam to improve their night vision. Moreover, bilberry leaves have been traditionally used to control blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.
Current scientific research supports various health claims stemming from traditional medicine. One recent Japanese study shows that extracts made from bilberries and lingonberries may protect the retina in the eye against UV damage. Findings of this particular study suggest that bilberry and lingonberry extracts containing high amounts of polyphenols exert protective effects against blue LED light-induced retinal photoreceptor cell damage, mainly by inhibiting the production of so-called reactive oxygen species (ROS) and activating pro-apoptotic proteins. Research at Gifu Pharmaceutical University and Wakasa Seikatsu C. Ltd in Japan also indicates that a combination of the two berry extracts was associated with additional benefits for retinal photoreceptor cells exposed to UVA-rays.
Keep the Doctor Away
Lackman reminds us that the daily requirement for vitamins C, E and A, as well as folic acid, can be satisfied by consuming 100g of wild Nordic berries each day. In addition to the vitamin content, Nordic berries also contain a wealth of dietary fibre and essential minerals such as iron, zinc and magnesium, in addition to their unique health-promoting polyphenolic compounds that work as antioxidants in the human body. Eating 100g of wild berries each day may not be possible, however, for everyone, which highlights the importance of Fenola’s berry extracts, which offer the same healthy properties as their fresh berry counterparts, but in a highly concentrated form.
The Finnish bilberry contains significantly higher amounts of nutrients as well as polyphenolic compounds than its cultivated US blueberry counterpart
It’s also worth noting that Nordic berries are particularly healthy; the Finnish bilberry, for instance, contains significantly higher amounts of nutrients as well as polyphenolic compounds than its cultivated US blueberry counterpart. These so-called anthocyanins act as plant pigments and they also have antioxidative powers that can help in the prevention of a number of diseases, including arthritis, diabetes, inflammation, age-related macular degeneration and perhaps even cancer.
Why are wild Nordic berries so powerful? It’s all down to Arctic weather conditions! Studies show that a cold winter season, coupled with long photoperiods that are typical in the far Northern hemisphere, appear to offer optimal conditions for the production of aromatic compounds compared with the same plant species found in the south. Our supply of wild Nordic berries is also top notch: approximately 500 million kg of berries grow each year in Finland’s forests alone.
Nordic Company with Human Health at Heart
Privately held Fenola is a fast-growing start-up life science company focused on manufacturing and selling health-promoting natural ingredients derived from the Nordic region’s raw materials. The company is part of the Nordic Nutrients Group. It has a sister company, Etnovia Oy, that operates as a GMP contract manufacturer of pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals. Etnovia – benefiting from Fenola’s top-quality natural ingredients in its production – is also in the process of expanding its own Etnovia-branded nutraceutical product portfolio.
These over-the-counter nutraceuticals could be utilised as self-care treatments and prophylactic interventions in a broad range of health-related conditions. For instance, Etnovia is now launching an eye product that can aid in the maintenance of healthy vision based on Arctic bilberry and ingredients documented in the AREDS study (Age-Related Macular Degeneration study by the US National Institutes of Health [NIH]).
These over-the-counter nutraceuticals could be utilised as self-care treatments and prophylactic interventions
“At Fenola, we have several new potential products under development. Being a young, dynamic start-up business, our ambitions are high. We also benefit from a strong team of professionals, including biochemists, pharmacologists and process chemists, who support our goals by actively finding novel ways to commercially utilise new plant-based ingredients or molecules for the promotion of human health,” Lackman says.
Lackman, who previously acted as research scientist for the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, is investigating new ways to utilize plants as raw materials in the production of health-promoting biomolecules, and admits that there is significant market potential for new and innovative plant-based products in diverse segments, including pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, cosmetics, and food and dietary supplement industries.
"With our strong biotechnological expertise and focus on high-quality service, and the use of premium-quality Nordic raw materials in our own production, wild berries and other Arctic raw materials could be exploited in the future far more than what they are being utilised today. Also, functional food products offer plenty of future possibilities for us."
Turning Traditional Medicine into Modern Products
Lackman says that now Fenola is now offering a line of liquid and microencapsulated products from Nordic pine tree bark (Pinus sylvestris). Nordic pine bark is the key raw material used in the production of the company’s Fenola Pine Bark extract product under the trade name Fenogenol. Compounds in pine bark have a plethora of positive effects on human health, including maintaining good cardiovascular health and improving blood lipid and blood sugar levels. The phytochemical components of pine bark extracts have also been shown to alleviate osteoarthritis symptoms by reducing the amount of tissue inflammation.
Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) is another key area of interest for Fenola. The health benefits of chaga mushroom extracts have been actively studied during the past decades to elucidate their biochemistry and reputed human health benefits. Chaga has been noted to have activity in a very wide array of health-related areas, such as for its free radical scavenging potential, immune-stimulating effects and antimutagenic and anticancer properties.
