Cho Seung-mok | Revealed the Special Benefits of Lime Peel | |||
작성자 | 대외협력과 | 작성일 | 2024-10-25 |
조회수 | 49 |
Cho Seung-mok | Revealed the Special Benefits of Lime Peel | |||||
대외협력과 | 2024-10-25 | 49 |
Pukyong National University Faculty Startup Company, Reveals the Sleep Improvement Effect of Lime Peel for the First Time
- Nutraight Co., Ltd. Publishes Paper in an International Journal and Pursues Export of Health Functional Foods
Pukyong National University faculty startup company Nutraight (CEO Cho Seung-mok, Professor of Food Engineering) has revealed the sleep improvement effects and mechanisms of action from the peel of lime, a type of citrus fruit for the first time.
Nutraight Co., Ltd.'s research team, in collaboration with Dr. Lee Jae-gwang's research team at the Korea Food Research Institute and Professor Jang H. Youn's research team at the University of Southern California's School of Medicine, scientifically elucidated the sleep effects and mechanisms of action of lime peel.
The research team, with support from the TIPS program of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, explored globally recognized raw materials to develop high-quality sleep functional ingredients that can enhance global competitiveness. The study found that lime peel extract showed significant reductions in sleep onset time and increases in total sleep time in animal tests.
In particular, it was confirmed that lime peel extract has the ability to increase deep sleep and improve sleep quality. The sleep effects of lime peel extract are attributed to the flavonoid compounds abundantly found in lime peel, which activate GABA receptors like the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA in the central nervous system, and this mechanism of action has been scientifically proven.
The research team recently published a paper containing these research results in the prestigious international journal <Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy>(IF: 6.9), which is in the top 10% of the pharmaceutical field. In a recently completed human trial, lime peel extract demonstrated excellent clinical effects, such as reduced sleep onset time, increased sleep efficiency, longer total sleep time, and increased stage 2 sleep, and the team is currently preparing to submit the paper.
Notably, Nutraight's corporate research institute focused on developing a method that selectively extracts only the flavonoid components that induce sleep while inhibiting the extraction of polysaccharides like pectin from lime peel, thus establishing an efficient and economical industrial production process.
The first author of this research paper, Lead Researcher Kim Seong-hee, stated, “Building on the world’s first study revealing the sleep effects and mechanisms of lime, we have successfully industrialized functional ingredients, and we plan to conduct follow-up research on promising lead compounds based on active ingredients. In particular, we can also see the use of lime peel, a byproduct generated during the production of lime juice, as a good example of high-value food upcycling.”
CEO Cho Seung-mok stated, “We have recently completed the application for individual recognition of functional ingredients with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, finalizing our preparations for entering the domestic market. We are currently working on registering lime sleep materials as new dietary ingredients (NDI) with the U.S. FDA, and starting next year, we plan to focus on the globalization of lime sleep materials, particularly in the U.S. market.”
CEO Cho Seung-mok has developed the country’s first individually recognized sleep functional ingredient, earning recognition for his outstanding research capabilities in the field. He founded Nutraight Co., Ltd. with the goal of developing high-efficacy, low-dose sleep functional ingredients that can succeed in the global market.
Song Jin-ho, Vice President of Magna Investment, an investor in Nutraight Co., Ltd., stated, “Nutraight has developed its products through efficacy comparisons with renowned foreign ingredients from the beginning of the research phase, and it is expected to play a pioneering role in revitalizing the export of health functional foods in Korea.” He highly assessed the global success potential of lime sleep materials.