Of the total curcuminoids present in the Turmeric extract, the curcumin is the single largest active constituent with more than 70% w/w composition, followed by DMC (demethoxycurcumin) and BDMC (bisdemethoxycurcumin), respectively. But the major challenge with the curcumin is its poor bioavailability in human physiological conditions.
Industry leading ingredient brands are trying to address this with their bioavailability studies and taller claims (higher numbers of bioavailability). However, most of them end up misleading the product formulators and end consumers, as their studies reflect a combination of both, unmetabolized curcumin (free curcumin) and its inactive conjugates (metabolites) like glucuronides and sulfites.
These inactive conjugates are soluble in water and excreted immediately, without any significant biological activity. Hence, it becomes very important to measure the free curcumin (unmetabolized curcumin) levels in blood plasma to make the high bioavailability numbers relevant to the product efficacy.
