Palo Alto, Calif. — August 30, 2006 — Frost & Sullivan selected Vitatene as the recipient of the 2006 U.S. Product Innovation of the Year Award in recognition of its Betanat® brand of natural beta-carotene. Having utilized state-of-the-art technology, Vitatene is able to produce natural beta-carotene and market it at a price comparable to the synthetic form.

Each year Frost & Sullivan presents this Award to a company that has exhibited excellence in new products and technologies within its industry.

“A safe and natural source of vitamin A, and an antioxidant that is used frequently in the supplement industry, beta-carotene is also used extensively in the food and beverage industry as a colorant,” says Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Ashwin Sukumaran. “With the increase in consumer demand for natural products, manufacturers have an obvious advantage if they promote products with natural ingredients rather than products made with synthetics.”

Until early 2005, natural beta-carotene was sold at one-and-a-half to two times the price of synthetic beta-carotene. With Vitatene’s introduction of Betanat®, the market finally has a natural beta-carotene product that is priced competitively and provides other benefits as well.

One of the benefits offered by Betanat® beta-carotene is its ability to convert readily and safely to vitamin A in the body. Unlike synthetic forms of beta-carotene, natural beta-carotene derived from Blakeslea trispora provides beta-carotene primarily in the same all-trans form as found in fruits and vegetables.  The all-trans form of beta-carotene has been found to have the highest conversion rate into vitamin A and dramatically reduce the chances for toxic overload that exist with pure synthetic Vitamin A

Although other manufacturers have produced beta-carotene from Blakeslea trispora, Vitatene has succeeded in cultivating a high-potency strain of Blakeslea trispora and utilizing production technology to isolate, purify and process beta-carotene efficiently.  Vitatene’s Betanat® product is made from beta-carotene crystals, plus tocopherol, starch and water and has a stability of three years.  The Betanat® crystals of beta-carotene have less than 3% of impurities from other carotenoids and are not synthesis products.  Committed from the start to maintaining quality, Vitatene’s efficiency enables them to sell at competitive prices while maintaining world class quality assurance and production standards.

Recognizing shortfalls in some traditional material processes, Vitatene utilized contemporary pharmaceutical technology to adapt beta-carotene for today's needs.  Because of this, the Betanat(R) products perform well during the process of making dietary supplements.  For the multi-billion dollar dietary supplement industry, high-speed production and reliable ingredient characteristics are as important as nutritional value.  Vitatene’s products provide the best of what manufacturers need. 

"Vitatene, with the support of its parent company, Antibioticos, has displayed a remarkable focus on developing a manufacturing process that enables the characteristics of the product to be tailored to the needs of the market," notes Sukumaran. "In addition to this, Vitatene is also offering assistance to customers with formulation issues and advice on how they can benefit most in terms of the labeling advantages offered by Betanat®."

Not only has this enabled Vitatene to surmount a significant challenge, this has also helped it allay customer concerns while making the change from synthetic to natural beta-carotene. Providing such value-added services has also resulted in building customer loyalty as well as in increasing sales.

Vitatene’s introduction of Betanat® is an example of product innovation at its best and Frost & Sullivan is proud to bestow the 2006 Product Innovation of the Year Award for the U.S. markets for beta-carotene to Vitatene.

About Vitatene

Vitatene is a subsidiary of The Antibioticos Group, one of the world’s largest producers of penicillin and cephalosporin antibiotics for human and animal use.  This multi-national group has manufacturing plants, sales offices, and research centers in Europe (Spain and Italy) and the Far East (China).  Their experience with fermentation (four plants – one new plant for KCLV Acid in Shanghai) offers a valuable tradition.  In the U.S., Betanat is distributed by B&D Nutritional Ingredients.

About B&D Nutritional Ingredients, Inc.

Founded in 1993 and based in Vista, California, B&D Nutritional Ingredients, Inc. is a national leader in sales and marketing of premier raw materials essential to the dietary supplement and personal care industries.  B&D has a portfolio of products from leading manufacturers.  These products are primarily natural antioxidants.  B&D is active in several industry organizations representing the dietary supplement and personal care industries.  Memberships include The Council for Responsible Nutrition, The Drug, Chemical and Allied Trades Assn. Inc. and the Pacific Technology Exchange.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, a global growth consulting company, has been partnering with clients to support the development of innovative strategies for more than 40 years. The company's industry expertise integrates growth consulting, growth partnership services, and corporate management training to identify and develop opportunities. Frost & Sullivan serves an extensive clientele that includes Global 1000 companies, emerging companies, and the investment community by providing comprehensive industry coverage that reflects a unique global perspective and combines ongoing analysis of markets, technologies, econometrics, and demographics. For more information, visit www.awards.frost.com or www.food.frost.com.