Executive Summary: Sarmentosin from Blackcurrant Waste: Isolation and Scale-up for Brain Health

Summary of Project and Key Findings (for public disclosure):
A range of blackcurrant sources/fractions were tested for Sarmentosin and other compounds. A purification process for Sarmentosin was conducted multiple times. The extract is currently undergoing additional trials by the client, with the byproducts also going to interested parties for evaluation.

Catalogue of IP Generated by the Project (kept confidential to the BPA):
Processing method for producing the highly valuable bioactive Sarmentosin extract at scale.

Statement from the industry partner describing the business impact of the project (kept confidential to the BPA):
The Bioresource Processing Alliance has played a pivotal role in helping Ārepa transform a low-value sugar waste stream from blackcurrant processing into a high-value, world-first bioresource. BPA support has delivered not only the extraction process IP for recovering sarmentosin from this secondary stream, but also the technoeconomic analysis needed to show that the opportunity is commercially scalable.

This work has underpinned the identification of sarmentosin as the key blackcurrant bioactive responsible for monoamine oxidase inhibition in humans, validating the importance of recovering it from processing side streams rather than losing it as waste. To our knowledge, sarmentosin is the first plant-food-derived MAO inhibitor proven in humans, with patent protection supporting its use as a novel bioactive ingredient platform.

Overall, BPA’s contribution has accelerated circular bioeconomy innovation, strengthened New Zealand-owned IP, reduced scale-up risk, and created a credible pathway from food-processing waste to globally relevant brain-health ingredients.

TRL at start of project = 3-5
TRL at end of project = 6-8