Jump the Q10

Leading supplier of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) Kaneka points out that its product is as old as the EU. What it does not say is that, over the half-century of its existence, the EU has opened rather more doors around the continent than the coenzyme - also known as ubiquinone - has so far managed to do.

This is not for want of knocking. And there have been high-profile launches, notably Swiss dairy Emmi's Lacto Tab product. But even the heavyweight marketing swing of Roger Federer could not deliver a smash hit - or even, on the face of it, a reasonable return. This door slammed shut again when the product was withdrawn around a year ago.

So, despite growth and increased capacity in Japan and the US, European brand-owners are justified in asking whether Q10 will ever take off here. What will it take for the multi-benefit ingredient to gain consumer acceptance?

Those multiple benefits include documented cell-energy, antioxidant and heart-health effects. Peter Lambrechts, business development manager at CoQ10 supplier Kaneka Pharma Europe, explains: "The older you are, the greater the effect of free radicals, and hence the importance of CoQ10's role as a radical scavenger."

But in a medical context, it is best-known as a heart-health supplement to combat the direct effects of statins in depleting reserves of CoQ10.

To further complicate the picture, its highly lipophylic nature means it is readily absorbed into the skin, and helps to explain its prominence in cosmetics and personal care markets.

It may also help to explain why it has fared better, notably in the US, in the form of a supplement rather than as a food ingredient. Lambrechts says: "In milk, for instance, you'd have to combine it with the very small proportion of the product which is the fat phase. Otherwise you might consider a formulated version."

In fact, formulated versions of CoQ10 are not difficult to source. DSM Nutritional Products uses its own encapsulation technology on different nutritional ingredients including Q10. This dispersible variant, called All-Q, can play an important role in increasing bioavailability, says global business manager Alan Abolentia.

Interestingly, says DSM, Emmi did not use a water-dispersible formulation of the coenzyme. Abolentia does not doubt that this was "quite an innovative product", in particular given the way that the Q10 was protected under the cap, and only dispensed into the drink at the moment of consumption. "But ultimately, Emmi said consumers didn't really understand the Q10 story and bought it more for the packaging," he reports. Other encapsulated formulations of CoQ10 include those produced by Aquanova, Germany, and distributed by ingredients supplier DKSH.

One danger, says business line manager for food ingredients at DKSH Kavan Ranasinghe, is that food and drink brands highlight multiple benefits in a product, such as fibre and antioxidants. The temptation must be even greater with a multi-benefit ingredient like Q10. "That can lead to consumer scepticism, and it's where a lot of people go wrong. Instead, concentrate on a single area," he advises.

There are other variants available. In its common, oxidised form, the coenzyme is supplied as a fine sugar-like powder with a "bizarre" orange colour, says Kaneka. But the company has recently started to produce a white, reduced form. Lambrechts explains: "There is evidence that this fraction of reduced CoQ10 is crucial for health. But the enzyme activity which transforms the oxidised form to the reduced form diminishes with old age. So a logical solution is to directly supplement reserves of the reduced form."

Kaneka says that, despite difficulties in producing this reduced form outside the body, it has been doing this successfully for over a year now and, equally importantly, has found a way of maintaining its stability. Sealed inside a capsule as a supplement, there is little risk of oxidation, but the company admits that incorporating it into products becomes more problematic.

The multiple benefits and delivery methods can cause confusion, Lambrechts admits. As he puts it: "People know CoQ10 from their anti-wrinkle cream, and then you tell them that it's all about energy." But he does not believe the communications challenge is insurmountable, or even qualitatively different from that already tackled with other ingredients. "Now everyone understands Danone's Activia probiotics, for instance, but it's not a one-day thing."

He adds: "Overall, it may just be a matter of time. In Japan, about 30% of people are already aware of CoQ10, and have experienced the good properties of the ingredient."

The situation regarding pricing and commercial availability has also improved since Emmi decided to pull out of the market with prices now below euro 1,000/kg, compared with euro 3,100/kg in 2004.

Lessons will inevitably be learnt from Lacto Tab. Ranasinghe at DKSH points out: "Often, with a new ingredient, the first launches don't hit all the right buttons. Subsequently, it gets improved and better communicated in second and third-generation launches." But frustrations about communication operate on more than one level for ingredients suppliers. At DSM, Abolentia says: "It's very difficult for us, as suppliers, to educate consumers."

Communicating the benefits and opportunities to the bigger brand owners in the food sector can be equally problematic, says DSM. This is as true of North America, where the growth has been in supplements rather than functional foods, as it is of Europe, Abolentia claims.

Exceptions to this international trend include Nestlé's Svelty yoghurts in the Mexican market. These aim at the 'beauty from within' angle, offering morning and evening variants, each including a 4mg dose per serving. The label not only flags up the role of CoQ10, but also uses DSM's All-Q co-branding.

Globally, Mintel reportedly identified 37 new launches of food and drink brands containing Q10 during 2007, down a fifth from a 2006 peak.

Cost has clearly been an additional obstacle to greater take-up in the functional foods arena - not only for the ingredient itself, but also for processes and packaging which ensure that the sensitive ingredient is not degraded in any way by heat or by UV light.

A dossier of health claims has been submitted to the EU authorities. As DSM's Abolentia explains, these span benefits in energy and metabolism (30-200mg RDI), heart health (100-200mg RDI) and antioxidant effects (30-200mg RDI).

To date, claims in Europe have, of necessity, had to be kept general. So, for instance, when Bayer used DSM's All-Q in one Supradyn variant, there were only "very soft" claims about "energy", says Abolentia. "US products have perhaps been able to be a bit more ambitious," he adds.

Meanwhile, suppliers are funding their own research into different types of benefit. Gee Lawson is European distributor of Q10 from Asahi Kasei in Japan. Says md Jonathan Shorts: "There is investigative and development work going on with regard to the effects on the brain. And although this is still in its early stages, it appears to be an area of great interest.

"To the best of our knowledge, Asahi Kasei is the only Q10 manufacturer putting so much work into this specific area."

Kaneka says there are food products in the pipeline, which could see European product launches in drink and dairy categories over the next few months.

Others warn that the current downturn and lower consumer spending could mean that more ambitious new product development projects are put on hold - including those involving CoQ10.

Either way, it seems only a matter of time before we see more commercialisation (and consumer communication) in this area.