Do you know that India has 7000 plants that contribute to medicines and nutraceuticals and 1200 plants are actively traded?
Ashwagandha and Turmeric are the common ingredients used.
How would it be to get to know the farm-to-bottle story of these extracts from the Indian soil to the European market shelves?
The traceability of plant extracts is crucial for brands to establish trust among consumers and ensure the safety of what they are consuming.
Traverse down the exciting journey of these extracts from India to Switzerland in our nutraceutical story.
What are nutraceuticals?
Nutraceuticals are products that are derived from food sources with extra benefits of health and the nutritional value found in food. Nutraceutical products generally promote well-being and the ingredients come from plant and animal sources.
Ashwagandha with the scientific name Withania Somnifera is a wood shrub that grows in India and Africa. The roots are the main part used therapeutically. Ashwagandha is used for stress relief as it relaxes the central nervous system.
Curcuma longa is a scientific name for turmeric, a perennial plant grown all over the world. India is the largest producer of turmeric. Curcumin is the principal curcuminoid of turmeric, which is hydrophobic in nature. Curcumin is known for its high anti-inflammatory effects. The aftermath of Covid-19 has spurned the advent of nutritional supplements with an increase in awareness of good nutrition and health. The demand for turmeric and ashwagandha supplements has gone up due to the high potency these herbs have in boosting immunity.
The European Nutraceutical Story
The journey of the turmeric and ashwagandha extracts from the Indian soil to the markets in Europe is a long and exciting one. They travel from India to Switzerland and finally to Liechtenstein in Europe. A journey that matters with regards to quality, transparency and sustainability!
CannSol Science AG is a subsidiary of CannSol Holding AG that works with high-quality nutritional supplements in Liechtenstein, Europe.
Every step of production takes place in Switzerland and meets the highest quality standards. The focus is on sustainability, purity and naturalness. Every ingredient is tested by independent laboratories to ensure the highest quality and purity.
The turmeric and ashwagandha extracts used in these supplements are imported from India. These are processed into GA (GumArabic) premixes and encapsulated at Liechtenstein.
The GA premixes are packed in drums and sent to Switzerland where solubilization takes place and are packed into 30ml bottles.
These bottles are then sent to Cannsol Distribution AG for further distribution.
This journey has a few challenges….
A guide to Traceability in Herbal Products | Read nowChallenges that Cannsol has
Cannsol believes in delivering high-quality products to the end consumer. Being a nutritional supplement with a number of processes, adherence to quality standards and safety measures is very essential.
- Since the extracts are sourced from India, it is essential to capture the source data and further processing
- The encapsulation, solubilization, and packaging are all carried out at different locations and there is a need for streamlining and coordination of processes.
- There are different participants in the supply chain and hence a need for collaboration among them.
- Quality checks need to be monitored at each stage and recorded.
- Transparency across the product lifecycle is necessary to win consumer trust.
TraceX has the solutions for Cannsol
The end to end traceability of a product ensures visibility and transparency in the supply chain and builds a credible product. The consumer can experience a plant-to-bottle story of the product.
TraceX’s blockchain-powered traceability software helps Cannsol in the digitization of its processes to realize an authentic product. The blockchain enables Cannsol to have all the stakeholders on a common platform, thereby providing trust and transparency to all.
The Nutraceutical traceability journey
- All the concerned stakeholders are onboarded to the FOODSIGN platform via a web-based application.
- The details of the Turmeric and Ashwagandha extracts are entered into the blockchain ledgers.
- Curcumin is a yellow pigment extracted from the dried roots of turmeric. In order to protect it and improve its stability and solubility in water, encapsulation is carried out. This encapsulation process is configured in the web-based application. The GA premix is the end product that needs to continue its journey. The GA premix is packed in drums and is dispatched to the filling and distribution unit.
- Curcumin has poor solubility and hence poor bioavailability. The Solubilization process is configured in the system after which it is sent for packaging.
- The final product is packed into 30ml bottles and is labeled with QR codes to ensure end-to-end traceability.
- These QR code bottles are dispatched to CannSol distribution unit for the last mile consumption.
Cannsol benefits from TraceX’s traceability solutions
