Lonza's Carnipure L-Carnitine turns 30

Lonza announced its 30th anniversary of manufacturing and marketing the Carnipure® ingredient, a premium grade of L-Carnitine. Decades of scientific analysis and discovery, backed by a dedication to technical and sales support, have established an environment that drives consumer awareness and usage today. These efforts have helped establish Carnipure L-Carnitine as a leading sports nutrition and weight-management ingredient across the globe.

“The success of Lonza’s Carnipure L-Carnitine is a prime example of bolstering an extraordinary ingredient with continued science and technical support,” said Michael DeGennaro, NAFTA VP of sales Lonza Consumer Care. “Therefore, as the foundation of science has grown, we’ve helped pioneer and deliver to a market that demands a high-quality, high-purity product in the form of our Carnipure L-Carnitine. Lonza’s goal is to provide our industry with products driven by science and led by technical support.”

Lonza’s history with the Carnipure ingredient started in 1985. At that time, the role of L-Carnitine in metabolism had already been established. The need for adding L-Carnitine to infant formula had been proposed, especially in soy-based formulas, which do not contain natural L-Carnitine. In the late 1990s, Lonza began investing strategically in human clinical trials by developing new applications. Partnering with researchers from the University of Connecticut (USA) and using Carnipure tartrate resulted in new insights in L-Carnitine’s role in exercise recovery. Between 2001 and 2010, this group in collaboration with Lonza published nine peer-reviewed scientific articles providing evidence that Carnipure supplementation can decrease markers of oxidative stress not only in healthy males of student age, but also in males and females of the baby boomer generation.

Due to its exemplary application flexibility, Carnipure L-Carnitine provides beneficial support across multiple product categories. It was first utilized as an essential ingredient in infant nutrition. As the science progressed, it was incorporated into dietary supplements and later into functional foods and beverages. Improved food technology has allowed L-Carnitine to mature and secure a strong position in the areas of energy metabolism, sports nutrition, weight management, infant nutrition and pet care.

“Thanks to the central role Carnipure L-Carnitine plays in metabolism, it has a broad array of applications,” said Ulla Freitas, scientific marketing manager, Lonza Ltd. “Combined with its excellent safety profile and full traceability, the Carnipure ingredient provides easy integration into formulations designed for supporting weight management, exercise and recovery, normal cardiovascular function and infant formulations. These characteristics, along with the Carnipure Quality Seal, make Carnipure L-Carnitine attractive for our customers and their consumers alike.”