What is nano-curcumin?
Nano-curcumin is curcumin, the yellow compound in turmeric, made into particles measured in nanometres, a millionth of a millimetre. The point is formulation: curcumin barely dissolves in water on its own, so making it into tiny particles lets it spread through water-based products such as drops and drinks.
Why make curcumin smaller
Curcumin is hard to formulate in water. Its solubility in pure water is about 0.6 µg/mL, so on its own it clumps, floats or settles in drinks and drops (Tabanelli and colleagues, 2021). Making it into very small particles is one of several ways formulators get around this. Others include combining it with oils, with phospholipids, or with other ingredients.
How small is "nano"?
A nanometre (nm) is a millionth of a millimetre. Certification schemes such as NANOVerify in Malaysia count materials in the 1 to 100 nm range as nano.
How it is measured
Particle size should always come with its method:
- Electron microscopy (TEM) photographs individual particles so each one can be measured directly.
- Dynamic light scattering (DLS) estimates the size of particles moving in a liquid.
A useful report names the method, the laboratory, the date, the batch and how many particles were counted. For Athemin®, 30 particles measured by TEM gave an average particle size of 51.78 nm (HRTEM report HRTEM/2023/041-R).
What particle size does not tell you
Size is a physical measurement. On its own it does not show what a product does in the body. Ask any supplier, us included, which studies sit behind any claim beyond size, and whether they were done in people or in animals.
Sources
- Tabanelli R, Brogi S, Calderone V. Improving curcumin bioavailability: current strategies and future perspectives. Pharmaceutics 2021; 13: 1715. doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics13101715
- NANOVerify Programme Standard Operating Procedure NVSB/PRO/01, 2024 (nano range of 1 to 100 nm). nanoverify.com.my
- Athemin® particle size: HRTEM report HRTEM/2023/041-R, SERC HRTEM Laboratory, October 2023 (available to business partners on request).