Although 2020 was a year filled with plenty of unpleasant news, the Alesco laboratory is here to give us some positive news in this unpredictable autumn.
The company is about to launch two new references on the market linked to Sucrosomial® Technology.  These are the long-awaited UltraBerb® (Sucrosomial® Berberine) and UltraChrome (Sucrosomial® Chromium), two innovative functional ingredients that will be available on the market from the end of the year.

We asked Lorenzo Ligabue, Senior Operations Officer (SOO) at Alesco Srl, to give us some advance insights on these new products.

Let’s start with UltraBerb®: can we say that this is a turning point for the Sucrosomial® Technology patented by Alesco?

“UltraBerb® is an important step forward for the R&D sector: it is the first Sucrosomial® formula applied to a phytoextract. A major step, if we consider that until today Sucrosomial® technology was applied only to minerals, which are poorly bioavailable and poorly absorbable elements by nature. The idea of transferring our know-how to extracts of plant origin like berberine comes from the desire to enhance these elements in some way with a delivery system that increases their bioavailability and therefore their efficacy.”

What are the specific properties of Berberine?

“Berberine is one of the most interesting phytoextracts currently on the market, as it is applied to the fat metabolism field. Specifically, it has considerable cholesterol lowering properties, so it keeps cholesterol levels in check; it is also hypoglycaemic, so helps to lower blood sugar levels. Even more so when associated with an innovative, scientifically validated delivery system like Sucrosomial® Technology.”

What is the difference between berberine extract and UltraBerb®, the new Sucrosomial® Berberine?

“We are working hard to produce new scientific evidence, but from the first data collected in partnership with the Department of Pharmacological Sciences of the University of Padua, it has been shown that, compared to Berberine HCI, UltraBerb® increases the expression of the LDL receptor (LDL-R) in human hepatocyte cultures by 1.5 times. Furthermore, when compared to Berberine HCI, Sucrosomial® Berberine significantly increases hepatocyte LDL uptake.”

And as regards UltraChrome®, what can you tell us?

“To develop UltraChrome®, we worked on an element that we have been familiar with for some time, chromium picolinate. The new product comes from the association between organic chromium salt (Cr3+ picolinate) and Sucrosomial® Technology. As with Sucrosomial® Berberine, also in this case we are talking about an element that helps to maintain normal glucose levels in the blood and which could therefore be very useful if associated with all the products used to control the glycaemic index. Furthermore, UltraChrome® is also applied in the sports field, as chromium contributes to the physiological metabolism of macro-nutrients, turning carbohydrates, proteins and fats into energy for the body.”

With the addition of these two new functional ingredients, it seems that Alesco is opening up to new development paths and new markets…

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With UltraBerb® and UltraChrome®, along with the new Pep2Dia®, which also controls blood sugar levels, and for which we are exclusive distributors in Italy, we are increasingly focusing on the prevention and promotion of healthy, active lifestyles. Many of the most common cardiovascular and endocrinal diseases, just think of hypercholesterolemia or diabetes mellitus type 2, are caused by dysfunctions that, with daily precautions, could be prevented or kept in check. This is one of the aims which, in cooperation with our partners, we have in mind for the near future. Covid-19 delayed the implementing times by a few months, because the products should have been presented at Vitafoods Europe 2020 in Geneva, but now we are ready: UltraBerb® and UltraChrome® will be launched on the market by the end of the year.”