FAQ

Questions about the grape seed and its uses

The grape seed and everything that can be made from it is new and unknown to many. We try to pass on some of our knowledge with the following questions and answers.

What does OPC actually mean?

The abbreviation OPC stands for Oligomeric Proanthocyanidins. These are secondary plant substances that occur naturally in plants and belong to the groups of flavanols and polyphenols.

In plants, OPC naturally protects against UV radiation, climatic conditions and pest infestation. The secondary plant substance OPC was discovered by Jaques Masquelier in 1948. OPC is regularly the subject of scientific research, as it is believed to have positive antioxidant effects on the human organism as well.

However, advertising the OPC content is not permitted under food law, as there is no scientific evidence of the positive effect of OPC recognized by the EFSA to date. Therefore, no information on the OPC content can be found on our product packaging and descriptions on the Internet. In addition, the scientific definition of OPC has not yet been clearly clarified. Thus, there are different opinions about which components belong to OPC and which do not. This is also what makes it so difficult to compare OPC claims of different products on the internet, as they may be based on different analytical methods and assumptions.

And where is the connection between OPC and grape seed products?

Grape seeds and thus also grape seed products naturally contain OPC. This OPC is mainly found in the solid components of the grape seed. During the mechanical cold pressing of our grape seed oil, we separate the grape seed oil as a liquid component of the grape seed from the remaining solids, which we offer as grape seed granules and as grape seed flour. While grape seed oil is especially convincing with vitamin E and polyunsaturated fatty acids, grape seed flour and granules have a high content of OPC according to laboratory analyses and thus represent a natural OPC extract.

Do we use seeds from red or white grapes at Vitis?

We require very large quantities of grape seeds for the production of our diverse grape seed products, which cannot be obtained from a single vineyard or site. Therefore, our core material always represents a mixture of grape seeds from an entire wine-growing region. Based on the cultivation of the different grape varieties, a mixture of approximately 50% seeds from red grapes and 50% seeds from white grapes is realistic.

Can our grape seeds be eaten raw?

Our Vitis grape seeds, which are popularly bought for sewing grain pillows and as filling material for decorations, are of food quality. We use exactly these grape seeds as raw material for our grape seed oil and grape seed flour. So if someone wants to nibble our Vitis grape seeds, put them in muesli or process them themselves, they can do so without hesitation.

Why can color, smell and taste differ from vintage to vintage and origin?

Our Vitis grape seeds are pure natural products that cannot be standardized. Our production is purely natural, without the use of additives, preservatives or flavor enhancers. Accordingly, natural variations caused by the weather in the growing year, by the mixture of grape varieties, soil conditions, etc., also exist in the finished grape seed products. Thus, variations in various properties, e.g. color, grain, odor and taste of the product are intentional and distinguish our natural products significantly from an industrially standardized product.

What is the difference between our conventional and our organic products?

The production practice for our conventional products, as for our organic products is identical and is purely natural without the use of any additives, preservatives or flavor enhancers. The difference lies only in the raw material used. Thus, the grape seeds for our organic products come from organic viticulture and the grape seeds for our conventional products come from traditional, conventional viticulture.

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