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Jungbunzlauer announces approval of zinc citrate

Jungbunzlauer has announced that zinc citrate is now integrated in the “Advisory lists of nutrient compounds for use in foods for special dietary uses intended for infants and young children” for all categories and thus approved in countries applying this CODEX regulation. Zinc citrate has already gained approval, the company notes, in similar categories in […]

Jungbunzlauer has announced that zinc citrate is now integrated in the “Advisory lists of nutrient compounds for use in foods for special dietary uses intended for infants and young children” for all categories and thus approved in countries applying this CODEX regulation. Zinc citrate has already gained approval, the company notes, in similar categories in the European Union before.

Zinc is an essential trace element and component in over 200 enzymes and therefore plays an important role in human health, Jungbunzlauer says, noting that there are currently 18 approved Article 13 health claims in the European Union for the overall population. More recently, zinc received approval from EFSA for two Article 14 health claims, referring to its contribution to normal growth as well as to the normal function of the immune system specifically for children.

The CODEX approval process was initiated by Jungbunzlauer by submitting a detailed dossier addressing its benefits such as high zinc content, superior bioavailability and more neutral taste to the competent authorities in Switzerland, who led the request at CODEX level.

Decisive factors for the integration in the CODEX advisory lists were, says Jungbunzlauer, specifically the previous integration of the monograph of zinc citrate in the United States Pharmacopeia and more recently, a study executed by ETH Zurich which proved the superior absorption of zinc citrate in humans. The study compared the bioavailability of zinc citrate with two other commonly used zinc salts: zinc gluconate and zinc oxide. The authors concluded that zinc citrate could be a useful compound for zinc supplementation and also highlighted its better sensory properties vs. often-used compounds like zinc sulphate, zinc acetate or zinc gluconate.

Zinc citrate is produced in Jungbunzlauer’s Pernhofen, Austria plant and mainly supplied to the food, dietary supplement and oral care industry worldwide.