Ingredient supplier AIDP has reached an agreement to distribute whole food-derived minerals from Cura Global Health. The Ultimine line, which includes iron, zinc, and multi-mineral formulations, is sourced from Koji (Aspergillus oryzae) fungi, through a patented fermentation and harvesting process to yield the minerals in highly-bioavailable forms.
 
In one study of Ultimine iron from Koji, bioavailability was similar to ferrous sulfate, which is considered an industry gold standard of iron bioavailability, AIDP reports. Another study, the added, found that Ultimine iron from Koji was absorbed at a 2.8-times greater rate than ferric pyrophosphate, the standard iron used in fortified food.
 
The sustained absorption mechanism seen with Ultimine minerals can also avoid some of the negative gastrointestinal side effects observed in standard fortification.
 
Cura Global Health developed this line of Koji-derived minerals over a decade, with a portfolio of studies demonstrating both efficacy and safety of the nutrients, AIDP said, noting that the natural sourcing of the Ultimine line of minerals will also meet the growing demand among consumers for nutrients subject to minimal processing and sourced from whole foods. The mineral market is 6% of the U.S. supplement market, AIDP reports, representing a $3.5 billion category which grew in sales by 11% in 2020. The company reports that mineral supplementation is growing in demand due to a depletion of these nutrients seen in foods and the soil in which they are grown, and an option with proven high bioavailability is critical to food fortification and efforts toward combating malnutrition.
 
“AIDP is excited to be the exclusive supplier of the Ultimine line of minerals for the Americas,” Mark Thurston, AIDP president, said. “We believe these unique, food-derived, bioavailable minerals fermented from Koji fungi have a large market potential.”