Views wanted on sporopollenin shells
The company, Sporomex Ltd, plans to market sporopollenin shells as a novel food ingredient to be inc…The company, Sporomex Ltd, plans to market sporopollenin shells as a novel food ingredient to be included in this range of foods:
• food supplements
• bakery products
• breakfast cereals
• dairy products and dairy substitutes
• foods for special medical purposes
• foods for use in energy-restricted diets for weight reduction
• foods for particular nutritional uses ('PARNUTs', as defined in Directive 2009/39/EC)
More about sporopollenin shells
All pollens and spores possess an outer shell, which protects the genetic material and nutrients. The shell is made from a unique polymer, known as sporopollenin, which is composed only of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.
Sporopollenin shells are produced by emptying spores from the clubmoss Lycopodium clavatum of their genetic, lipid and protein material to leave an empty sporopollenin shell. The applicant’s intention is to fill the empty shell with functional ingredients such as fish oils or vitamin D. The applicant states that sporopollenin shells will therefore function as a novel system to deliver functional ingredients more effectively into the body and mask the unpleasant taste of certain functional ingredients such as fish oils.
