IOI Loders Croklaan has announced that its Betapol fat blend has recently been awarded 17 new patents worldwide for the product’s production processes. Betapol, which the company describes as one of its most groundbreaking innovations, was specially developed to mimic the unique fat composition and structure of human milk. It is claimed to be the closest natural match to breast milk fat available, and has, according to Loders Croklaan, become the scientifically substantiated standard for high-quality infant formula.
Among the latest patents to be granted to IOI Loders Croklaan are several that provide worldwide protection for the process currently used in the company’s dedicated Betapol facilities in Malaysia and The Netherlands. This process involves the enzymatic acidolysis of a palm stearin component with oleic acid to produce an OPO-type fat. This process is said to be unique to IOI Loders Croklaan.
Other patents recently granted protect many other enzymatic routes for making Betapol. The patents, divided into three patent families, apply in numerous countries worldwide.
“When it comes to products designed for babies, quality assurance is a top priority,” said Dr. Ulrike Schmid, the company’s global IP and regulatory manager and a European patent attorney. “The new patents we have been granted provide our customers with additional reassurance that the product they buy is genuine and of the consistent quality that they want to provide to those who buy their own products.”
Equally important, Schmid points out, patents also help to ensure the business continuity of IOI Loders Croklaan’s customers.
“We take the concept and practice of patenting very seriously, because we believe that, by protecting our product ideas, we increase our customers’ chances of success with their own products. As soon as an idea for Betapol takes shape it is evaluated – even while still under development – to see which elements need to be protected. We then file patents for the relevant processes, special applications and health effects. Betapol is the leading proven and trustworthy alternative energy source for babies whose mothers cannot breast-feed for whatever reason. It is truly unique, and our patents help ensure that it stays that way.”
