The active ingredient of the Turval company

The active ingredient of the Turval company

It all began in 1993 when in the laboratories of Turval Laboratories srl, a company in Udine, guided by Alessandro Turello, among the first to settle in the Luigi Danieli Scientific and Technological Park, began to experiment a new active ingredient in order to patent the biotechnological process of production.

These active ingredients are probiotic lactic yeasts or – in simpler terms – specific microorganisms placed in animal feeds (including those for fish) and food, which are able to surpass the gastric barrier arriving with all their force into the intestine, thus improving the metabolic functions and rebalancing the bacterial flora.

The last goal, in chronological terms reached by the company, is the recognition given by the European Union, which approved  the active ingredient developed in collaboration with the University of Udine  and with the University of Perugina and of Bologna. A success that follows another recently achieved acknowledgment , is the recognition given in 2006 by the American ministry of health (Food and Drug Administration). These were two important results “that contributed in praising also the Scientific Park, by raising it to an international level.” If on the

one hand much satisfaction was expressed by the president of the company, the president of Friuli Innovazione Furio Honsell, and also by the director Fabio Feruglio, on the other hand, Turello still did not fail to remember the many and complex pitfalls encountered while reaching the goal.

“To have a new active ingredient be recognized by the European Union,” comments Turello, “is far from simple.” And this subject is even more true for Italian companies that, unlike  ones operated in other countries – like France, Germany, Finland, Great Britain, and Holland – have less support.

“A process,” he explains, “started by sending, through the Italian Ministry of Health, a dossier to the health commissions of all the member countries, each one having to express their own opinion.” Which was something that was not at all simple, for it took a good eight years of “infinite expectations before being able to obtain recognition,” explains Turello. A favorable opinion that finally came in spite of a long process.

This means that the probiotic yeast made in Friuli, the first of its kind to obtain both authorizations from the US and the European Union, can be exported and marketed in two continents as a supplement for human and animal consumption. “It is,” explains Turello, “a type of supplement that is in turn placed in other products or foods.” The field of application is in fact parapharmaceutical connected to scientific and applied research. The market areas are instead  either dietary and pharmaceutical which are comparabile to food supplements, or zootechnical. In this last case, the probiotic would replace the addition of antibiotics, generally added in animal feed – a detail that is rather important from a health standpoint.

This is a real highlight for the research, that testifies a long collaboration among the various Italian and foreign universities (Udine, Bologna, Perugia, Columbus Ohio, Nairoby Kenya and Thailand), as well as between the researchers and private laboratories, including the Cciaa of Udine laboratories. The economic relapse the company had is also important. “Even though,” adds Turello, “that from this point of view,  the market chain that revolves around this company has a major role. This is an initiative that ironically,” jokes Turello, “reaches dimensions up to ten – fifteen times greater than what they are locally. This means that there are many possibilities in store with this probiotic. It is a new discovery of its type, as was said before. What makes this active ingredient particular is that it is  a lactic yeast (Kluyveromeces B0399) that has much more strength than normal lactic ferments and naturally surpasses the gastric barrier; all this in addition to the fact that it helps prevent and treat candida infections. It is also suited for those who are lactose intolerant and is the only one to work in the presence of antibiotics.

“And now,” continues Alessandro Turello, “the test will be based on the market response and success will depend on updated scientific research, as well as exploring foreign markets..”

Different companies in Italy have already invested in Turval’s active ingredient, creating other products for the nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, homeopathic, and dietary fields. As of this year, the product is now under different brands in every pharmacy in Italy.

In the zootechnical field, the active ingredient is already circulating internationally in Canada, the United States, and in Egypt, where is it particularly found in feed for horses, pigs, and camelids.

The recent missions abroad in emerging markets have confirmed their interest in this active ingredient and its development.

Two companies in Istanbul have asked for its distribution in Turkey. During the different meetings in Beijing, China, different preliminary agreements were signed for its application in the zootechnical, nutraceutical, and dietary fields in yogurt.