Balchem, a global manufacturer of specialty nutrition and health ingredients, has partnered with Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) to create the Virginia Tech Mineral Metabolism Research Center.
The collaboration will review the most up-to-date scientifically-backed information on the relationship between various minerals and human health, and to identify open research questions in the field to help guide and inform researchers and clinicians.
The center will be led by Stelia Volpe, PhD, RDN, ACSM-CEP, FACSM, the current head of the department of human nutrition, foods, and exercise at Virginia Tech. She will work with a team of researchers on an independently written review article on the state of science on magnesium. The article is due to be published later this year.
“I am honored to be leading this team of dedicated academics in this endeavor. The project plays an important role in the future of nutrition, because it aims to provide a credible and comprehensive overview of the current state of scientific research on minerals and human health to clinicians and researchers,” Volpe said.
“We are proud to support Virginia Tech on this project because we truly believe it will help the scientific community reach a deeper understanding of minerals in human health,” said Dr. Eric Ciappio, PhD, RD, strategic development manager of nutrition science at Balchem. “We see this collaboration as a testament to our commitment to supporting independent research, which we will also leverage to continue to develop effective, innovative ingredients that can benefit consumers globally. Our Albion Minerals brand has been at the forefront of mineral research for over six decades, pioneering ingredient formats, such as magnesium bisglycinate chelate and chelated iron, while always using science as the foundation to product innovation and development.”
Considering the large scale of scientific research available on magnesium, combined with the mineral’s popularity, a timely review paper on magnesium’s health benefits is due to determine the direction of future research, Balchem reported.