Fiberstar Wins Second Patent Infringement Lawsuit Initiated by Z Trim (Amex:
ZTM)
WILLMAR, Minn., Jan. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Fiberstar, Inc. announced today
that the United States District Court for the Western Division of Wisconsin
ruled on Monday, January 28, 2008, that Fiberstar's Citri-Fi(R) " ...
products do not infringe any of the claims asserted ... " by Z Trim Holdings,
Inc. and Fibergel Technologies, Inc.
This is the second time that Z Trim has lost in its failed attempts to
assert that Fiberstar's Citri-Fi products infringe Z Trim's patented
non-caloric technology, invented by George Inglett and licensed from the USDA.
Fiberstar's President and CEO, Dale Lindquist said, "We are pleased with
the Court's decision to rule in our favor for a second time. We had said all
along that Fiberstar did not infringe the Z Trim patent, and the Court's
ruling vindicates Fiberstar's right to sell its Citri-Fi products." Fiberstar
was defended in both actions by a team from the firm of Michael, Best &
Frederich of Madison, WI and Chicago, IL.
Both Fiberstar and Z Trim claim to have products that can be used to
partially replace fat in a wide range of food products without changing their
taste or texture. However, Lindquist said, "Citri-Fi products offer distinct
advantages over Z Trim, the most compelling of which is Citri-Fi's price
advantage." Citri-Fi sells for $2.20 to $2.60 per pound, about half the price
of Z Trim's comparable product. "This gives Citri-Fi products a huge
competitive advantage."
In addition, Citri-Fi offers several other functional and practical
advantages. Citri-Fi does not have to be reconstituted via a high speed
shearing step which saves Citri-Fi customers time and money. Because Citri-Fi
is so easy to use as a dry ingredient, it does not have to be purchased as a
costly pre-hydrated product. Instead, Citri-Fi absorbs moisture and fully
hydrates immediately on contact with water. This enables Citri-Fi to also be
used as a moisture management tool to reduce syneresis and increase yields in
a wide variety of food products. Another advantage is that chemicals such as
sodium hydroxide or hydrogen peroxide are not used in Citri-Fi's production
process. Also, no allergenic drying aids such as soy lethicin or chemical
preservatives such as sodium benzoate or citric acid are added to Citri-Fi
products.
Worldwide sales of Citri-Fi in 2007 were two and one-half times greater
than 2006 sales. Citri-Fi's customer list includes the names of some of the
largest food manufacturers in the world. In November 2007, Citri-Fi was
recognized by a prestigious panel of judges who awarded it the Silver Award
for the most innovative food ingredient introduced in Europe during the past
two years.
About Citri-Fi
Citri-Fi is a novel, all-natural functional food ingredient made from
citrus pulp that is specially suited for controlling moisture migration,
improving yields, adding moistness, replacing fat, and reducing the cost of a
wide variety of food products. Citri-Fi's water holding capabilities are truly
remarkable as it not only holds water; it binds it and does not release it
over time -- even through freeze-thaw conditions. The superior water-binding
functionality of Citri-Fi makes it an outstanding natural fat replacer that
maintains taste and texture, and reduces cost. With over 70 tested food
applications, Citri-Fi is an essential ingredient for food manufacturers to
use to enhance the quality and healthiness of their finished food products.
Popular applications include: bakery, dairy, dressings and sauces, frozen
foods, meat, and prepared salads. Citri-Fi is GRAS, non-GMO, all-natural,
non-allergenic, kosher-parve, and halal.
About Fiberstar
Fiberstar is a privately held, innovative and technology-driven company,
founded in 1998 to develop new and novel functional ingredients by Enhancing
the Functionality of Natural Plant Materials(TM).
For more information about Fiberstar and Citri-Fi, please visit
http://www.fiberstar.net.
SOURCE Fiberstar, Inc.
Dale Lindquist, President & CEO of Fiberstar, Inc., +1-320-231-1829, fax,
+1-320-231-3741, d.lindquist@fiberstar.net
