Guava goodness: Taiwan’s Han-Sient taps patented extraction tech for guava leaves to target ASEAN diabetic and weight loss markets
Han-Sient lays claim to having conducted some of the most in-depth in-house R&D and clinical trials for its products due to its leadership background with its CEO being a professor from Donghai University and believes that it is now mature enough to set its sights on overseas markets.
“One of our most popular products is guava leaf extract, which has actually been known in TCM for thousands of years as a treatment for diabetes but without much in terms of scientific experiments to back up its benefits,” Han-Sient Business Promotion Account Director Jimmy Chang told NutraIngredients-Asia at the recent Vitafoods Asia 2024 event in Bangkok, Thailand.
“Han-Sient is looking to change this and we have been conducting a lot of sugar regulation experiments and clinical tests over many years, in combination with our patented extraction technology that ensures maximum benefits are retained during the process.
“Essentially, we only use water in combination with ultrasonic low-heat extraction so as to ensure minimum damage to the guava leaf compounds and retain maximal activity so that the blood sugar regulation benefits are maximised as well.”
The firm has successfully completed in-vitro cell-based and animal trials for the guava leaf extract for evidence on blood regulation after meals and glycaemic activity, and its clinical trial results are expected to be released in the first half of 2025.
“What we do know is that guava leaf extract is different from other sugar reduction products in that its mechanism does not work to just directly remove sugar from the bloodstream, but instead at times of high glucose will direct this into cells to be converted into glucagon for storage, which is then converted back to glucose for usage when blood sugar levels become too low,” he said.
“This is very different to say insulin, which is hard to control and if injected in overly large dosages can cause hypoglycaemia and possibly even injury or death from resulting falls or injuries.
“So guava leaf extract is a compound that can help with more natural glycaemic control and can benefit diabetic patients, and can actually also help those looking for weight management solutions as we know it also increases adiponectin activity, which is a hormone that helps to burn fat.”
Export targets
Based on its in-depth research and patented technology, Han-Sient is now eyeing various overseas markets for guava leaf extract in hopes of establishing itself as a more international brand.
“Our first and main short-term targets are the South East Asian markets of Malaysia and Singapore; and also Japan and South Korea,” Chang added.
“In the medium term we hope to go into the EU and United States, and then in the longer term we will look at Indonesia, the Philippines and more.
“The food regulations are quite different and complicated across the various markets and we are putting a lot of time and effort into this area – for instance, Indonesia is actually a very interesting market, and we do have halal certification at our Taiwanese factory for many of our products, but there is another level of regulatory control to navigate here so we need more time to figure out our path here.”
Either way, the firm is confident that the rise diseases of affluence such as diabetes means that there is a strong market for guava leaf extract in many geographies.
“We are now working on gaining a better understanding of the ASEAN market such as in Thailand, where we know weight loss and whitening are very important to local consumers,” he said.
“As the economic progress grows and diseases such as diabetes become more rampant, it is inevitable that interest in products such as these will also go up and we want to be a core part of that interest.”
