Indena has been working on bilberry extract since the early seventies. Along the years our company has strived for quality and today its standardized extract is the point of reference for the market. Here Indena retraces the history of a big research, production and market success.

• 1970: Indena initiates its research into a standardized bilberry extract, first named Myrtocyan^® "Bilberry 25% dry extract".
• 1976: Indena registers a medicinal specialty that soon becomes the world's best-selling OTC bilberry product.
• 1980: Indena's product enters the dietary supplements market under the Mirtoselect^® brand name and becomes the reference bilberry extract.
• 2004: a new dedicated state-of-the-art production facility for Mirtoselect^® is inaugurated at Indena's Settala site. It processes up to 26.000kg of bilberries a day, and has an annual production capacity of more than 45 tons of extract.
• 2005: Indena updates an analythical method, already used for the release of it’s first registered product in Italy⁽¹⁾. This new valitated HPLC method for bilberry quantifies all the anthocyanins present in both plant material and in extracts and is able to detect anthocyanins extracts produced from different plant materials (raspberry, blackberry, black currant, elder-berry, etc.). This method represents a standard reference for the main pharmacopeias.
• 2006: Indena files a new logo that guarantees the consistency and quality of Mirtoselect^®. This may also be used by Indena customers who want to reassure consumers about the quality of the active ingredients they use.
• 2007: Indena publishes here internal bilberry extract method of analysis⁽²⁾, applicable also to bilberry extract finished products, for the benefits of the Industry. In the same year Indena underline the presence on the market of fraudulent bilberry extracts and not properly labeled finished products⁽³⁾. The new Mirtoselect^® web site is online
• 2008: Indena's efforts against adulterated bilberry extracts have been welcomed by well-known authorities and Indena actively contributes in drawing up today available bilberry extract monographs in the European⁽⁴⁾, Italian⁽⁵⁾ and USP Pharmacopoeia⁽⁶⁾.
• Almost 50 peer-reviewed papers have been published on Indena's standardized bilberry extract since the early seventies. They demonstrate its quality, safety and efficacy.

1. A. Baj, E. Bombardelli, B. Gabetta and E.M. Martinelli, "Qualitative and quantitative evaluation of vaccinium myrtillus anthocyanins by high-resolution gas chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography", Journal of Chromatography A
Volume 279, 25 November 1983, Pages 365-372.
2. Cassinese C, de Combarieu E, Falzoni M, Fuzzati N, Pace R, Sardone N., "New liquid chromatography method with ultraviolet detection for analysis of anthocyanins and anthocyanidins in Vaccinium myrtillus fruit dry extracts and commercial preparations", J AOAC Int. 2007 Jul-Aug;90(4):911-9.
3. C. Artaria, R. Pace, G. Maramaldi, G. Appendino., "DIFFERENT BRANDS OF BILBERRY EXTRACT - A comparison of selected components", NUTRAfoods 2007 6(4) 13-18
4. European Pharmacopoeia 6th Edition - Supplement 6.2 – «Fresh bilberry Fruit Dry Extract Refined and Standardised»
5. FU XI Ed, 1st Suppl. 2005, «Mirtillo Nero Estratto Secco Purificato e Titolato»
6. USP 31–NF 26 - Second Supplement , «Powdered Bilberry Extract» (Identification and Assay)

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