Ingredients Firm Offers Carotenoid-Rich Extract From The Gac Fruit

Telos Ceuticals, a Michigan-based food ingredients producer, has introduced a carotenoid-rich extract from a Southeast Asian fruit known as gac (momordica cochinchinensis spreng). According to the company, Carogac can be used as an ingredient by companies who want to enrich food products with carotenoids. The fruit contains 76 times the lycopene in tomatoes, 60 times the vitamin C in oranges, and 10 times the beta-carotene in carrots. The company cites published USDA research showing that extracts from the gac fruit also contain 40 times the zeaxanthin in corn, and is a source of omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids, and vitamin E. Self-affirmed GRAS, Kosher, and Hallal, the extract is available in 100 percent pure fruit powder, 100 percent pure frozen puree and fresh puree, the company said.