MegaNatural® Gold grape seed extract is produced from grape seeds only. The seeds are separated from the skins and stems prior to extraction. Other Polyphenolics products are made from both seeds and skins, which is also known as pomace.
FAQ Categories Archives: Polyphenolics FAQs
Where do the grape seeds and grape skins come from?
Polyphenolics uses only non-fermented seeds and skins from California wine grapes and juice grapes collected in the Central Valley of California. E&J Gallo Winery, the California Natural Color & Polyphenolics parent company, is the largest wine company in the world so we have a large supply of raw material to choose from.
Is MegaNatural® BP patented?
Yes. There are two MegaNatural®-BP patents. The first patent was issued in 2003 and covers the unique manufacturing extraction process, giving it a much lower average molecular weight than any other grape seed extract on the market, increasing its heart-healthy benefits. The second patent was issued in 2009 for the method of lowering blood pressure in pre-hypertensive individuals with metabolic syndrom using MegaNatural®-BP.
What is the definition of OPC (oligomeric proanthocyanidin)?
Proanthocyanidins come in a multitude of chemical structures and sizes consisting of base units called “monomers”. Proanthocyanidins containing two or more monomers chemically linked together are called oligomeric proanthocyanidins or “OPCs”. OPCs containing two monomers are called dimers, three monomers are called trimers, four are called tetramers, five pentamers, etc. After considerable discussion, it was the consensus of the Grape Seed Method Evaluation Committee (through the National Nutritional Foods Association) to define OPCs as all proanthocyanidins containing two or more monomers, including polymers and condensed tannins.
What are tannins and how do they relate to flavan-3-ols?
Tannins are plant polyphenolics that possess the property of precipitating proteins from aqueous media. Tannins can be separated the tannins into two classes: hydrolyzable tannins and nonhydrolyzable or condensed tannins. According to Haslam, a world-renowned phenolic chemist, the term proanthocyanidins means the condensed or nonhyrolyzable tannins. Chemically speaking, the terms condensed tannin and proanthocyanidin can be used interchangeably and both are comprised of two or more flavan-3-ol units, but proanthocyanidin seems to be preferred in the nutraceutical industry. Species in the Vitis genus (i.e. grapes) contain non-hydrolyzable tannin; or complex polyphenols which can not be degraded under hydrolytic conditions – either acid, alkaline or hydrolytic enzymes – into simpler fragments, mainly sugars and some phenolic acids.
References:
Billot, J., Fleuriet, A., Macheix, J-J. 1990. Fruit Phenolics. CRC Press, Inc. Boca Raton, FL.
Haslam, E. 1979. Vegetable tannins. In “Recent Advances in Phytochemistry”, Vol. 12, Swain, T., Harborne, J.B., and Van Sumere, C.F. Eds. Plenum Press, New York, 475.
