ABOUT THE SEAL

BRIX-CERTIFIED℠ °Bx GLYCEMIC IMPACT

The BRIX-CERTIFIED℠ and °Bx GLYCEMIC IMPACT℠are Service Marks duly filed and listed at the United States Patent & Trademark Office.

SEAL/MARK SERVICES DEFINED

Inspecting edibles/beverages to determine whether they conform to SR-2020 (Scientific Research 2020) and glycemic impact quality certification standards;

Testing, analysis and evaluation of the goods and services of others to determine conformity with certification standards;

Testing, analysis, and evaluation of goods or services of others to the order and specification of SR-2020 and glycemic impact;

Testing, analysis, and evaluation of Foods and beverages, Nutritional and Nutraceutical products, supplements, educational data (brochures, etc), functional foods and beverages, sugars, sweeteners, carbohydrates, juice and juice extracts, glycoside sweeteners to determine conformity with certification standards.

FUNCTION OF THE MARK/SEAL

BRIX-CERTIFIED℠ and °Bx GLYCEMIC IMPACT℠ is a certification standards service available to manufacturers,

formulators, Nutraceutical products, sugars & sweeteners, carbohydrates, nutrition products, sweetening compounds (such as artificial and glycoside sweeteners), compounds, and other edibles, as described above.

Clients may submit products that will be analyzed for quantification and qualification.

Products, raw materials, and compounds that meet the criteria as set forth by BRIX-CERTIFIED℠ and °Bx GLYCEMIC IMPACT℠ will be allowed to use the Seal/Mark on labeling and attendant educational literature as related to the product submitted.

LABELING COMPLIANCE

Labeling compliance is a requirement of the Food & Drug Administration, and the newer guidelines can vary from the original guidelines. It is imperative that any company in the food or nutrition business work closely with their Regulatory Attorney to comply with the new guidelines.

The newest/current regulatory status of the FDA & FTC on labeling guidelines is of particular importance, especially as to the new “Added Sugars” labeling (where applicable per FDA guidelines: Nutrition Facts vs Supplement Facts).

We applaud the FDA for adding the “Added Sugars” as labeling compliance, as there are multiple forms of sugars and sweet compounds that affect the human body, and their biochemical effects vary greatly, especially when combined.

The BRIX-CERTIFIED℠ and °Bx GLYCEMIC IMPACT℠ marks do not over-ride or affect the decision of the client’s Regulatory Attorney in terms of labeling, claims, etc. The final decision on whether to utilize the Seal/Mark should be up to the client’s Regulatory Attorney.

BRIX & GLYCEMIC IMPACT

The term Brix or °Bx is used to describe both degree of sweetness and amount of sugar (sweetening impact).

Technically, Brix (°Bx) is a measure of the amount of dissolved solids in a liquid via its specific gravity, and is used to measure dissolved sugar. One degree Brix is 1 gram of sucrose in 100 grams of solution.

Diabetics use BRIX to detect sugars, as the level of sugar in the urine can be measured in Brix, which is percentage of total sugars in a solution. If urine contains 2% total sugar or total carbohydrate, the Brix reading is 2.0. This information helps them keep their blood sugar levels in range.

The degree of BRIX (°Bx as DEGREES BRIX) level varies in carbohydrates, sugars, sweeteners and other elements, foods and beverages (and edibles/consumables), juices, and anything that contains sugars, carbohydrates, juice or juice extracts, fruit and fruit extracts, corn syrups, maltodextrins, glycose polymers, vegetables, and plant extractor other oral ingested substances that have a Brix value.

Depending on the degree of processing, fruit juice sweeteners contribute primarily carbohydrates in the form of sugars. Structurally, they include monosaccharides and disaccharides.

The United States FDA and USDA have strict guidelines on Brix. As an example: “If a batch of apple juice, for example, contains less than its USDA minimum Brix of 11.5°, a manufacturer can add apple juice concentrate to standardize sugar content without having to count the concentrate as added sugars”

The USDA requires manufacturers to maintain written records of the amount of sugars added to a food or a beverage during processing and of the source(s) of Brix values used for any calculations.

Anything orally ingested in humans that carries a glycemic value and a Brix value, helps provide day-to-day management of blood glucose.

For decades, the Glycemic Index has been acknowledged as the Gold Standard for determining GI, Glycemic Load, and Insulin Index (particularly by Harvard University).

The Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load are related to °Bx. The GI and GL are numerically defined, and °Bx is typically numerically defined, whereas the Glycemic Impact is not numerically defined in all cases.

Clinical trial results are used in determining Glycemic Impact, whereas °Bx is a mathematical equation.

APPLICATION PROTOCOLS

In the case of use of the specific BRIX-CERTIFIED℠ and °Bx GLYCEMIC IMPACT℠ Seal/Mark, clients may elect to submit a finished product or a compound, a sweetener, or an edible agent. To apply, click on the link here.

Following analysis, the client will be advised of the results, which will dictate a written approval to utilize the Seal/Mark on said product(s).

Any questions from the client may be submitted at the website.

Following submission of the official application, the client will be contacted, and will be advised as to the appropriate steps to approval.

Client use of the Seal/Mark depends on compliance with the protocols as set forth by the scientific board.

The Seal/Mark does not convey any diabetic approval, as this requires Human In Vivo Clinical Trials for substantiation. Nor does the Seal/Mark convey or implicate any specific health benefits or claims to the client or to the public.