Heart Choice™ Sterol Esters
WILD has teamed up with Cognis Nutrition & Health to provide Sterol Esters under the Heart Choice™ brand to the food and beverage industry. Sterol Esters are an important tool to combat heart disease and high cholesterol. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in developed countries, killing over 12 million people per year. At least 4 million of those deaths are due to high cholesterol levels. It is not surprising that 
Cardiovascular/Heart Disease and specifically high cholesterol is a top concern to consumers (HealthFocus). No longer just a Western world problem as it was once thought to be, cardiovascular disease is rapidly spreading to developing nations thereby increasing the need for methods to counter heart disease.
Heart Choice™ Sterol Esters are clinically-proven to prevent absorption of dietary cholesterol. Certain levels of Sterol Esters in a finished product allow an FDA-approved health claim that Sterol Esters may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. Additionally, Sterol Esters are Generally Regarded as Safe (GRAS) for specific food use.
Although naturally found in vegetables, fruit, legumes, nuts and grains, few people eat the suggested amounts of these foods. Concentrated levels of sterols are associated with high-fat foods, and health-conscious consumers may omit these foods to limit fat intake -- creating a need for Sterol Ester supplementation.
Heart Choice™ plant sterols come from the oils of vegetables and seeds such as soybeans, grapeseed, sunflower seed, and corn. Purification processes concentrate the natural Sterols and Sterol Esters from the source oils in their naturally-occurring ratios.
Review of dozens of clinical studies involving Cognis's Heart Choice™ Sterol Esters indicates that a cholesterol reduction of 10 percent can be achieved by addition of Sterol Esters to the diet, consumed in two servings per day.
Plant Sterol Esters are available as a free-flowing oil (suitable for soft gelatin encapsulation) and as a high potency water-dispersible powder (ideal for drink mix formulations and energy bars). WILD Flavors, Inc. has also developed a water-soluble version of sterol esters that enables manufacturers to easily incorporate Heart Choice™ Plant Esters into Ready-To-Drink beverages without stability issues.
With WILD's concept-to-market approach and focus on great-tasting products, and Cognis's status as the world's largest supplier of plant Sterol and plant Sterol Esters, customers are ensured a great-tasting final product with functional applications.
