CREAGRI, INC. INTRODUCES HIDROX™, A PROPRIETARY FORMULATION OF HYDROXYTYROSOL AND A POWERFUL ANTIOXIDANT

Hayward, CA, December 2002— CreAgri, Inc. has announced today that its new, patented formulation of hydroxytyrosol, HIDROX™, has been introduced into the marketplace as a raw material ingredient with strong antioxidant activity. Scientific analyses from the ORAC test show that HIDROX™, CreAgri’s trademarked formulation of hydroxytyrosol from the water of organic olives, has an ORAC activity six-fold higher than lycopene at 5% and lutein at 5%, two commercially available and widely used natural antioxidants.  

HIDROX™, the company’s raw material formulation of hydroxytyrosol (2%), is protected by patent US 6,416,808, and is the first to contain hydroxytyrosol, the primary and most potent antioxidant polyphenol found in olive oil. Made only from the water portion of organic olives, HIDROX™ is available as a powder (2%), liquid (0.5%), and olive oil emulsion (3%).

Olives Provide Powerful Health Protection

For years, it’s been widely accepted among scientists and the public that extra virgin olive oil confers many health benefits. It is well documented in the scientific literature that Mediterranean cultures have lower rates of coronary heart disease (CHD) and certain cancers, especially prostate and colon. This has been attributed to the Mediterranean diet, which relies on olive oil as its predominant source of fat. Olive oil contains at least 30 polyphenols, many with antioxidant properties.  

While the oil has received a tremendous amount of attention, until now the vegetation water created in the production of olive oil has been perceived as a mere byproduct and often a waste product. In fact, disposal of the water has been costly and problematic for the olive oil industry. Yet the very polyphenols that make olive oil so healthy are present in olive vegetation water at 100-300 times the amount found in olive oil. Olive water is therefore an untapped reservoir of antioxidant power.

Hydroxytyrosol – The Simple Olive’s Best-Kept Secret

The most bioactive of the antioxidant phenols found in olive water is hydroxytyrosol. It has been the subject of numerous scientific studies demonstrating its free radical scavenging ability.  

In his latest book, The Perricone Prescription, Dr. Nicholas Perricone dedicates a section to extolling the virtues of olive oil. In it, he refers specifically to hydroxytyrosol as a rare and most potent protective antioxidant. Dr. Perricone states that hydroxytyrosol slows the aging process in the skin by stabilizing the cell plasma membrane. He recommends daily olive oil ingestion for soft, shiny hair and strong nails. Kurt Greenburg, author of The Skin Cancer Breakthrough Program, also specifically recommends hydroxytyrosol from olives as part of his regimen. 

Until now, however, there has not existed a viable industrial method of extracting hydroxytyrosol from olives, and the public has not been able to benefit from the olive’s best-kept secret. Dr. Roberto Crea, founder of CreAgri and chief scientist, is changing this.  

Proprietary Process Harnesses the Power of Hydroxytyrosol

Dr. Roberto Crea, founder and chief scientist of CreAgri, Inc., and other Italian scientists, developed an innovative proprietary process – called Integrale™ – to generate HIDROX™. The process, which is protected by two US patents (6,197,308 and 6,165,475), removes the pits from the pulp of the olives. In traditional oil extraction, pits are not removed prior to milling, which results in contamination of the olive water that the industry typically disposes of as waste. In its next patented step, CreAgri processes the polyphenolic-rich olive water with citric acid, which protects against air oxidation and releases the hydroxytyrosol from its precursor oleuropein and other large molecules. The resulting liquid is then formulated as HIDROX™ and is available as powder, liquid and olive oil emulsion. 

In their commitment to producing a totally natural, completely pure material, CreAgri uses only 100% organic olives to create HIDROX™. And while it is common to use chemical solvents in extracting natural compounds, the Integrale™ process and all of CreAgri's proprietary processes are completely natural and solvent-free. 

Independent laboratory analyses that measure Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) indicate that hydroxytyrosol is the most potent natural antioxidant yet discovered. It has also been shown to be absorbed, distributed and metabolized extremely well by the body, unlike its precursor oleuropein, which has a relatively high ORAC value (about half that of HIDROX™), yet whose molecule is large and poorly absorbed.

Research Indicates Many Therapeutic Uses for HIDROX™

Olive polyphenols, including hydroxytyrosol, have been the subject of numerous in vitro, in vivo and human studies pointing toward their benefits in many different areas, including:

• Prevention of atherosclerosis, through protection of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol from lipid peroxidation

• Promotion of intestinal and respiratory health, through anti-bacterial activity

• Prevention of cancer, through a potent inhibitory effect on free radicals associated with colon and breast pathologies

• Protection of vital tissues from second-hand smoke, as hydroxytyrosol reduces the consequences of smoke-induced oxidative stress

• Scavenging of superoxide and other ROS (Radical Oxygen Species)

• Antimicrobial activity 

Because hydroxytyrosol is a natural compound with a remarkable safety profile and lack of toxicity even at very high concentrations, HIDROX™ lends itself as a novel ingredient to a broad use in dietary supplements, functional foods, natural cosmetics and animal feed. Additionally, initial studies show HIDROX™ possesses strong anti-microbial properties, which could be used in food processing, sanitation and many other applications. 

CreAgri is committed to promoting human health and well being through the creation of superior natural products. The company focuses on the development of science-based processes that are environmentally friendly and compatible with sustainable agricultural methods. CreAgri’s headquarters are in Hayward, California. The olives grown on the company’s own organic olive ranch are carefully processed within 24-48 hours of harvesting.

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