Moringa (Drumstick) Seed Extract

The drumstick tree, Moringa oleifera Lam. (Moringaceae) — also called the horseradish tree, the ben tree and malunggay — is grown across India for pod, leaf and seed, and the seed is the densest of the three. Mature seed yields 38-40% of the edible ben oil, named for its high behenic acid content; one detailed characterisation puts oil at 36.7% of seed weight with protein at 31.4%. The oil itself is unusually oleic-heavy, with oleic acid at 73.57% of total fatty acids and behenic acid at 6.02% ± 0.75 (5.97% ± 0.69 cold-pressed, 6.04% ± 0.81 solvent-extracted), which is why ben oil is clear, near-odourless and slow to go rancid. That oil is a co-product here, not the article: this extract is made from the seed after the oil has been taken off, and the distinction matters for both specification and tariff classification. What survives defatting is the glucosinolate fraction, and in Moringaceae that fraction is dominated by one compound. Glucomoringin is 4-(alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyloxy)benzyl glucosinolate, supplied as the potassium salt, C20H28KNO14S2, molecular weight 609.7. A crude aqueous extract of moringa seed has been reported to contain glucomoringin at 9.433% of the crude extract, which is why the seed rather than the leaf is the starting point when a glucosinolate assay is wanted. Glucomoringin is the stable storage form; the plant's own myrosinase hydrolyses it to the corresponding isothiocyanate, moringin, often written GMG-ITC. Thovek supplies both sides of that reaction: an intact-glucosinolate grade with myrosinase inactivated and glucomoringin assayed by HPLC, and an enzyme-converted grade assayed as moringin. Which one you need depends on whether your finished format allows hydrolysis in situ and on how much thermal and moisture stress the isothiocyanate would see. A third, protein-forward grade is drawn from the defatted meal, which carries the dimeric cationic proteins that absorb and neutralise colloidal charge in turbid water — the basis of moringa's long-standing water-clarification use. Moringaceae is not one of the botanical families covered by tree-nut allergen legislation, and moringa seed is not a statutory allergen in the EU or the United States. It is still a seed, so declare it by name on the label rather than relying on its absence from a list. The material is free from milk, egg, soy, fish, crustacean, gluten and peanut, is vegan and vegetarian, and is produced without animal-derived processing aids. One regulatory point to settle early: a glucosinolate-standardised seed preparation is not the same object as moringa leaf powder, which has a much longer food history in Europe, so confirm the novel-food position of a seed-derived preparation in your destination market before you commit to a launch. Thovek describes composition and established nutrient function only; substantiating any claim on the finished product is the brand owner's responsibility.