Business

R&D: Quality — Natural Ingredients

Greetings, ARIIX Family!

Spring is beginning here in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, and from the ARIIX Corporate Office we can see green on the mountains and trees blossoming in the city.All these beautiful colors showcase the variety that can be found in nature, especially in plants that are used for food. It is largely from these plants that we obtain the ingredients to make our Gold Standard nutritional products.

Just as we find variation in fruits, vegetables and herbs that are used for food, we also find natural variation in the color, flavor, texture and aroma of the ingredients that make up our products.

These attributes in plants are influenced by many factors, such as the specific strain and crop of the plant (the genetic capability of the plant to produce the desired attributes), the geography and weather under which it was grown (temperature and sunlight), the soil in which it was grown (mineral nutrients), the frequency and extent of exposure to water during growth, and the age of the plant (ripeness). Additionally, when converted to a form used in nutritional products, such as powder, other factors, such as particle size, begin to influence these attributes.

Natural variation in these attributes can be a benefit, because it gives us evidence that we are dealing with natural products. One example of this would be natural colors versus synthetic colors: If a product is always exactly the same color, you can’t rule out the use of synthetic colorants. Conversely, if the color is similar, but shows some variation, you can be reasonably confident that natural colorants are used. This also holds true for the other attributes mentioned above.

You can find examples of this variation almost everywhere you look — so many, in fact, that you might take it for granted. In order to highlight this phenomenon, we found some examples of variations in fruits and spices from a local market.

Examples of color variation between different brands of spices:Two different brands of ground cumin, showing a slight difference in color. These two also show a difference in particle size, which will have an effect on the color.Two different brands of garlic powder, one much brighter in color than the other.A visible difference in color between two brands of sage powder.A strong difference in color between two brands of bay leaves.Fruits showing color variation between individual units (ripeness plays a key role in color development):Tomatoes in various states of ripeness.Avocados in various stages of ripeness.Limes showing various shades of green.Ripening mangoes.Honeycrisp apples showing variation in peel color.Ripening lemons.Mandarin oranges with varying degrees of orange color.Green Bell PeppersRed Bell PeppersBack at the office, we wanted to get a better look at some of these examples of natural variation.Two strawberries from the same batch, one showing a deeper red color and softer texture and the other a lighter red and harder texture (less ripe).The same strawberries when cut highlight how the degree of ripeness can change the color and texture.Oranges showing a difference in peel color, with the one on the right exhibiting a lighter peel. When cut, the color difference is still visible, although the opposite holds true: The orange with the lighter peel has darker fruit inside.So what does this all mean?

Next time you enjoy your Gold Standard ARIIX nutritional products, and you encounter some variation in color, texture, flavor or aroma, please remember that this is both a result of, and a testament to, the use of natural ingredients in our products.

We always strive to bring you the highest-quality products made from the highest-quality ingredients!

If you’re interested in learning more about the factors that influence plant growth, following are additional resources on the subject:

 

Thank you,

ARIIX Quality