ETAS® is a standardized extract of Asparagus officinalis stem, produced by Amino Up Co. in Japan and studied for its induction of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70). VF Bioscience distributes ETAS® in Europe as a branded active for food supplement, functional food and pharmaceutical formulators. It is a technical ingredient, not a finished consumer product.

Is consumption of ETAS® the same as eating asparagus?

No. ETAS® is a specific, standardized extract of the asparagus stem, and the HSP70 research is on that preparation, not on the vegetable.

HSP70 is a molecular chaperone, a highly conserved stress-response protein that helps refold damaged proteins and protect cells. Its expression is induced by stresses such as heat, UV and toxic exposure.

What does the evidence on ETAS® actually show?

Published research reports that ETAS® induces HSP70 in cell and animal models, as well as in human clinical studies. Consumption of ETAS® has been associated with sleep improvement, stress relief (prevention of cortisol increase), and cognitive improvements.

Can you make a stress or sleep claim for asparagus extract in the EU?

No. There is no authorized EU health claim for asparagus or ETAS®, and botanical claims for stress and sleep sit on the 'on hold' list pending EFSA assessment. VF Bioscience shares the published science as technical information, and any claim wording should be confirmed per market with a regulatory lead.

Asparagus extract and HSP70: the science behind ETAS®

ETAS® is a standardized extract linked in published research to heat shock protein 70 (HSP70). Searches for asparagus extract benefits mostly return general information about the vegetable, which is a different thing. This guide answers the questions that matter to a formulator instead: what ETAS® is, how it differs from eating asparagus, what the HSP70 evidence actually shows, and what you may say about it in the EU. VF Bioscience distributes ETAS® in Europe as a branded active, alongside its own probiotic strains, fermentation starters and other functional ingredients, and supplies food supplement, functional food and pharmaceutical manufacturers.

What is ETAS®?

ETAS® is a standardized extract produced by Amino Up Co. in Sapporo, Japan, from the lower stem of Asparagus officinalis, the part which is edible but normally discarded when spears are trimmed (Amino Up). The commercial grade studied and traded, ETAS50®, is standardized to 50 percent asparagus stem extract with 50 percent dextrin as a carrier (Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2013). Among its characterized constituents are 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural (5-HMF) and a derivative named asfural, as well as diketopyperazines.

What is HSP70, and why does it matter?

HSP70 is one of the best-studied heat shock proteins. It acts as a molecular chaperone: a highly conserved, near-universal stress protein that helps refold damaged proteins and provides cytoprotection when a cell is under stress. As one review puts it, “Hsp70 represents the best-characterized class of cytoprotection proteins, and its expression is markedly induced by a variety of stresses, such as heat shock, UV irradiation, and exposure to heavy metals” (BioMed Research International, 2015). Beyond these cytoprotective effects, HSP70 is also involved in numerous cellular and physiological pathways, such as the regulation of cortisol production.

What does the evidence on ETAS® and HSP70 show?

The evidence goes from in vitro cellular studies to animal studies, and human clinical studies. The table summarizes the main findings.

Study type	Model	Dose	Key finding
In vitro	Human (HeLa) cells	>0.125 mg/mL (mRNA), >1.0 mg/mL (protein)	HSP70 mRNA and protein increased (Ito et al., 2014)
Animal	Mice under sleep-deprivation stress	200 and 1000 mg/kg	HSP70 protein raised in stomach, liver and kidney (Ito et al., 2014)
Human (preliminary)	Healthy volunteers, 7 days	100 to 150 mg/day	HSP70 mRNA in leukocytes increased versus baseline (Ito et al., 2014)
Human (RCT)	Healthy adults, 28 days	150 mg/day	Self-reported fatigue and sleep-quality scores improved (Takanari et al., 2016)

The mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of ETAS® on sleep and stress remain hypothetical. One proposed mechanism involves HSP70, which may participate in the feedback regulation of cortisol production. Improvements in sleep quality may be associated with modulation of the melatonin receptors MT1 and MT2, whose expression has been reported to increase following ETAS® consumption. Recent animal studies, and human clinical studies, have focused on the prevention of cognitive decline and neurodegeneration.

Is ETAS® safe?

In toxicology studies the acute oral LD50 in rats was above 2000 mg/kg, and a 90-day repeated-dose study up to 2000 mg/kg per day (the highest dose tested) showed no significant adverse effects; ETAS® was non-mutagenic in the Ames test and behaved like the negative control in a micronucleus test. The authors concluded that “these results support the safety of ETAS® as food and dietary supplement” (Ito et al., Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, 2014). A later randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled safety study in healthy volunteers reported no serious adverse events (Yasueda et al., Journal of Herbal Medicine, 2023).

What can you claim about asparagus extract in the EU?

There is no authorized EU health claim for asparagus or for ETAS®. Botanical health claims have sat “on hold” since 2012, with roughly 2,078 claims paused pending assessment by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA); the typical stress and sleep phrasings that suit this ingredient are on that on-hold list, which means they are not authorized and may still be rejected (EU register of health claims; Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006).

Sourcing ETAS® as a formulator

ETAS50® is a defined grade with a specified extract-to-carrier ratio and characterized constituents. VF Bioscience distributes ETAS® in Europe and supplies it, with documentation, to food supplement, functional food and pharmaceutical formulators.