Curcumin is one of the bioactive curcuminoid compounds that are present in turmeric. It is considered the main ingredient of turmeric because almost 75% of the active curcuminoid compounds are curcumin. Curcuminoid comprises certain composites such as BDMC and THC and also possesses a variety of therapeutic properties like immune-stimulatory, cognitive enhancement, etc.
The most active component of turmeric, curcumin is an antioxidant powerhouse that offers cartilage-building properties. Other than that, it is well known for providing numerous health benefits, thus is not only used in food but is also known for its wide usage in multiple medical and pharmaceutical applications across the world, especially in India and China. Also, it is a natural anti-inflammatory compound and may lower any risk of heart disease, reduces pain and swelling, prevent Alzheimer’s and cancer, supports skin health, and treats depression, metabolic syndrome, arthritis, liver problem, and neurological diseases, etc.
Moreover, scientists are undergoing extensive research to determine the effective uses of curcumin in the treatment of gallstones, type 2 diabetes, cystic fibrosis, psoriasis, and more. In addition, the medical and pharmaceutical industries are formulating curcumin-based medicines in the form of capsules, powder, and syrups.
Furthermore, researchers have recently discovered that curcugen curcumin extract can enhance the bioavailability of active curcumin in more than one way. Also, a significant amount of active ingredients like piperine or black pepper can be combined in order to enhance the bioavailability and increase the absorption level of curcumin.
15 Nutritional Facts of Turmeric That Everyone Must Be Known
Best Turmeric Supplements:-
Most curcumin-based supplements are usually approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. But still, the effectiveness of supplements is expected to vary from brand to brand. Nutritional supplements of curcumin that are combined with vitamin C and zinc usually offer promising results in boosting the natural immunity of an individual. Few best turmeric supplements are:-
- Pure Formulas Curcumin: -It is suitable for a range of dietary requirements. It involves 500mg of turmeric along with black pepper, plant fibers, etc. as ingredients.
- Persona Turmeric Capsules: – This one is a vegetarian supplement that accounts for stress relief and pain recovery.
- Swanson Curcumin Complex: -It contains 700mg turmeric with 5mg of Bioperine, hypromellose, microcrystalline cellulose, silica, and magnesium stearate.
- Care/of Turmeric Capsules: – This supplement does not contain black pepper, so it may not support an optimal absorption level.
COVID-19 Impact on the Advanced Glass Industry:-
While the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected almost every industry around the world, it has positively impacted the curcumin industry by leading to significant growth in the market. Initially, due to the lockdown implementation, the supply chain of curcumin faced a few challenges in transporting raw materials as well as finished goods, but soon, had received huge demand for curcumin from the consumer segment.
Though vaccines have been approved in almost all countries but considering the shortfall of vaccine production, it is estimated to take longer time to cover the entire population in most nations. Curcumin is considered to be an effective antiviral agent against many enveloped viruses. Likewise, several studies have shown that curcumin with piperin can be an effective adjuvant therapy for the treatment of coronavirus.
Moreover, the NP mechanism can help in preventing viral replication. As compared to either curcumin or silver NPs in isolation, the combination of silver NPs with curcumin can significantly increase the antiviral activity, while reducing the cell-to-cell fusion and syncytium formation. Curcumin-carbon dots are another effective option in inhibiting coronavirus entry.
As per several surveys done in recent time, the usage of curcumin for the treatment of COVID-19 patients have actually shown symptomatic recovery in fever, cough, breathlessness, and sore throat to some extent. More importantly, very few patients in the curcumin group needed oxygen therapy and even if they needed it, they were able to maintain oxygen saturation above 94% at room air. This way, curcumin has added value to the COVID-19 treatment and has promoted its usage in the end use industries. This in turn, has boosted the demand for curcumin even more and also propelled the growth of the global curcumin market.
Current Market Scenario of the Global Curcumin Market:-
According to a report published by Allied Market Research, the global curcumin market size is anticipated to reach $104.19 million with a significant CAGR from 2018-2025. The major factors such as the rise in global population, rise in health consciousness, adoption of organic ingredients, rise in a number of diseases, various health benefits of consuming curcumin, etc. have boosted the overall growth of the curcumin market to a great extent. But, the availability of cheaper synthetic food colorants and formulated curcumin-based products is expected to hamper the market growth to some extent.
Nevertheless, the growing demand for curcumin in the cosmetics and textile sectors is projected to further enhance the market growth. India is the top most producers of curcumin, and the second is China, which is why most global companies are now focusing on setting up their turmeric production plants in either of these two countries.
At the same time, the introduction of soil-less agriculture in a few regions has led to training over 10,000 people to cultivate numerous varieties of crops by using a technique called hydroponics. This process is not labor intensive and helps the cultivator maintain a healthy root of the plant during cultivation. Thus, soil-less agriculture has increased the yield and has further improved the quality of turmeric cultivation, which in turn, has made turmeric more profitable for ordinary farmers.
Moreover, increasing demand for herbal and ayurvedic products of cosmetics and skin care are further fueling the curcumin market in several ways. Due to its organic and therapeutic functionalities and low rates of toxicity, curcumin has received widespread adoption globally.
In a nutshell, curcumin has a wide array of applications in food, medical and pharmaceutical products, cosmetics, textiles, etc., and the market is expected to propel with exponential growth in the near future.
