Formulas For Success is a monthly educational series from our leading formulation experts that covers the basics and fundamentals of trends in product formulation. Each month, we’ll be featuring an emerging ingredient or combination of ingredients and sharing the key tips you’ll need to discover your own formula for success.
If you’re not familiar with the essential nutrient PQQ, then you’re not alone. PQQ, or Pyrroloquinoline Quinone, is a rapidly emerging dietary ingredient which is found in nature in nano quantities, and is an essential micronutrient in living organisms. PQQ can be found in the cells of our bodies, where it protects and restores mitochondria for optimal cellular energy (ATP) production. It is a powerful antioxidant and stimulates growth and replication of the mitochondria. It also restores your nerve cells and nerve endings by enhancing the production of Nerve Growth Factor. These important roles that PQQ plays in cellular health and nutrition make it a necessary supplement for supporting a healthy brain and heart.
Formulating with PQQ
PQQ (Pyrroloquinoline Quinone) is available in 2 forms:
PQQ Disodium Salt – a water dispersible, reddish-brown, free-flowing powder
PQQ Acid – an oil soluble, reddish-brown, free flowing powder
PQQ Disodium Salt is very stable, has a 3 year shelf life, and can easily be incorporated into powdered drink mixes, tablets, capsules, chewables, effervescent tablets, candy, and gummies. PQQ Acid can be incorporated into oil based products like chocolates, softgels, and tinctures. PQQ Acid can also be emulsified for incorporation into ready-to-drink beverages and other water based foods and beverages.
The recommended dosage for PQQ is 10 – 20mg per day. At this level, its slightly earthy taste can easily be masked in foods and beverages. Currently PQQ is available in the market as a stand alone dietary supplement, or in combination with synergistic ingredients like CoQ10. It is also available in powdered drink mixes and ready-to-drink beverages for sports nutrition.
PQQ vs. COQ10
While PQQ may not be widely known, you’re likely familiar with its “cousin” ingredient CoQ10. But is PQQ a replacement for CoQ10? No!
PQQ and CoQ10 work side by side in the cells. In fact, you need both for maximum cellular energy production. They are powerful antioxidants, functioning independently, and have separate, unique functions which make them both essential. The difference is that while the body produces CoQ10, you must obtain PQQ from your diet. So for many consumers, supplementing with PQQ is even more important.
The benefits of PQQ in boosting short term memory are even more pronounced when paired with CoQ10
PQQ Formulation Example
Bars make for ideal product applications for energy ingredients. Adding PQQ into an energy bar is a great and delicious way to ensure consumption of the daily recommended PQQ. Adding a small amount to the bar does not affect the binding ability, taste, appearance, or shelf life. In the sample formulation below for an energy nut bar, our patented Vitamin E, which preserves the original α-tocopherol form for increased bioavailability, was added as a natural preservative for the oils in the bar. To keep the bar packed with energy but also healthy, SoPure Stevia Reb A and IMO syrup was applied to reduce the added sugar contents. All ingredients were blended with the hot binder in a mixer and rolled into a slab. A chocolate drizzle was added on top to provide an indulgent, tasty treat. This product was displayed at Supply Side West and met with wonderful feedback.
PQQ Formulation Solutions
Nascent Health Sciences supplies both PQQ Disodium Salt and PQQ Acid as stand-alone bulk ingredients which can easily be incorporated into a variety of applications. Nascent’s products are FDA Affirmed GRAS for food and beverage products.
Need the recipe for the energy nut bar? Or ready to create your own formula for success? If you’re interested in learning more about formulating with PQQ, contact one of our expert consultants for your product development and formulation needs!
Pyrroloquinoline Quinone is an Important Micronutrient
Here at Nascent Health, we realize that pyrroloquinoline quinone is not something that people think about all that often. In fact, we would be willing to be that the vast majority of people on this planet aren’t even aware that pyrroloquinoline quinone exists. While this is understandable, we still feel that it is our duty here at Nascent Health to educate as many people about the products that we offer. In today’s post, to shed some more light on the mysterious micronutrient know as pyrroloquinoline quinone, we are going to go over the history of PQQ and its applications in the modern world. We hope that by the end of this post all of our readers have a better understanding of what PQQ is, what it is used for, and why it is an excellent addition to any diet.
PQQ Was Discovered Relatively Recently
Discovered roughly 20 years ago by J. G. Hauge, pyrroloquinoline quinone is the third redox cofactor discovered by researchers in bacteria. Redox cofactors are an essential component of the metabolic process. While metabolism involves a wide range of chemical reactions, most fall under a few basic types of reactions that involve the transfer of functional groups (specific groups of atoms or bonds within a molecule that are responsible for the chemical reactions of those molecules). Through these chemical processes, cells within the body are able to use a small set of metabolic intermediates to transport chemical groups between different reactions. While this all might sound really intricate and scientific, basically it just means that PQQ is used within the body to activate cell signal pathways that are involved in cellular energy metabolism, helping the body effectively transport and use the energy from ingested food.
What Else Does Pyrroloquinoline Quinone Affect?
PQQ is important for a number of processes within cells, however, one effect that it has within the body is often considered more important than others. In a recent study, it was found that PQQ plays a critical role in the growth and development of mitochondria within the cell and helps to protect mitochondria from oxidative stress. With PPQ present, it was found that spontaneous mitochondrial biogenesis occurred within cells. Additionally, it has been found that PQQ is a neuroprotective compound that has been shown in initial studies to protect cognition and memory function in humans and mice. Research has shown that PQQ can reverse cognitive impairment caused by prolonged oxidative stress and help improve memory test performance. Pyrroloquinoline quinone accomplishes this by stimulating the production and release of nerve growth factors in cells that help to support neurons within the brain. This discovery has opened a whole new avenue of research in relation to PQQ and is currently being studied by researchers as a possible treatment for certain cases of brain damage.
What Does the Future Hold for PQQ?
Continuing in the same vein as the above paragraph, pyrroloquinoline quinone is currently being studied for any potential applications it may have in the treatment or reversal of certain types of brain damage. Specifically, PQQ has been shown to be able to prevent the self-oxidation of the DJ-1 protein, an early indicator of the onset of some forms of Parkinson’s disease. Additionally, PQQ has been shown to protect brain cells against oxidative damage that occurs following ischemia-reperfusion injuries or the damage that results from the sudden return of blood and nutrients to brain tissue after they have been deprived of them following a stroke. While research into PQQ is still in the early stages, these early results have shown that this micronutrient may one day play an important role in the treatment of stroke victims. We hope that this blog post has helped to shed some light on pyrroloquinoline quinone, its importance in metabolic processes, and the potential applications that it may have in the future treatment of brain injuries. At Nascent Health, we offer our own line of pyrroloquinoline quinone called PureQQ. Through our proprietary methods, we have developed a PQQ product that offers the highest purity of its kind and has been certified FDA GRAS for use in food and beverages. If you would like to learn more about our line of PQQ products please visit our website today. At Nascent Health we are dedicated to providing the highest-quality micronutrient extracts on the market and we are sure that once you experience the quality of our products you will see the difference that Nascent Health brings to the table.
Hello, and welcome to the first official Nascent Health blog! Here at Nascent Health, our mission is to deliver the highest quality food and drug supplements available to the food and beverage industry. The quality of food preservatives and additives deserves just as much attention as the quality of the food itself, and in today’s blog, we are going to be listing some facts about one of our key food additives: Pyrroloquinoline Quinone (PQQ). PQQ is a micronutrient added to a wide variety of foods and has been proven beneficial in many areas of human health. PQQ occurs naturally in many leafy greens and legumes, and is found in high concentrations in breast milk. To learn more about PQQ and its benefits, continue reading below.
PQQ Has Many Benefits For Those Who Ingest
PQQ is technically a cofactor, which simply means that it helps enzymes in the body accomplish their tasks more efficiently. This, in turn, helps with the transfer of electrons in the human body which can have a host of benefits relating to the production of energy. Below, we have listed just a few of the benefits that PQQ has for individuals.
PQQ Helps in the Production of Mitochondria: Pyrroloquinoline quinone, when present in a diet, is shown to help create new mitochondria which, we all know, are the powerhouse of the cell. Compounds that help with the creation of mitochondria are linked to increased, longevity, better utilization of energy, and helps to protect from free radicals found in the body.
PQQ Improves Memory: In tests, PQQ was shown to trigger the DNA reading protein CREB (CAMP responsive element binding protein 1), which has been shown to play a pivotal role in the growth and expression of genes. As a result, PQQ has been shown to improve memory and reverse the effects of oxidative stress, which has been shown to cause heart problems, disorders of the brain, and cancer.
PQQ is a Neuroprotective: In recent studies, PQQ has been shown to have neuroprotective properties that help in the protection of memory and cognition in older people. This is interesting because PQQ is currently being studied as a way to treat Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other brain ailments that typically affect the elderly.
PQQ Helps With Fatigue, Mood, and Sleep: Pyrroloquinoline quinine has been shown to help people fall asleep and to improve the quality of sleep that people experience. In one study, it was found that people who ingested 20mg PQQ for 8 weeks who had previous fatigue or sleep-impairing disorders, saw significant improvement in both sleep duration and quality.
PQQ Helps Decrease Insulin Resistance: Because of its effects on mitochondrial biogenesis, PQQ has been shown to alleviate fat-induced insulin resistance. It has this effect because increased mitochondrial growth in the muscles is perceived by the body as being akin to exercising.
PQQ Protects the Heart: PQQ has been shown in animal models to effectively reduce the size of damaged areas in the heart that developed as a result of a heart attack. It was found that this healing effect occurred whether or not it was administered before or after the heart attack, suggesting that it could be beneficial to treat recent heart sufferers within the first few hours after the attack with PQQ to help prevent permanent heart damage.
PQQ Improves Brain Function: Some studies have found that PQQ helps stimulate the production and release of nerve growth factors which, in turn, appears to improve the memory function of humans. PQQ was also found to help with production of Schwann cells which are responsible for the production of the myelin sheath around the axons of neurons.
PQQ Decreases Inflammation: It was found that people who took 20 mg of PQQ a day saw significant decreases in the levels of C-reactive protein and IL-6, a main cytokine related to inflammation when released by the immune cells of the body.
We hope that this blog has helped to give you more information about what PQQ is and why it is an important food supplement. Our PQQ supplement, PureQQ, offers the highest purity of its kind and is the only PQQ supplement that has been FDA GRAS approved for use in food and beverages. To learn more, visit our website today.
