Day: January 11, 2022

NEW YORK, Jan. 11, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Madison Realty Capital (“Madison”) today announced the final close of Madison Realty Capital Debt Fund V LP (“Fund V”), raising $2.08 billion in equity commitments, exceeding the fund’s $1.75 billion target.

Fund V received significant support from existing investors as approximately 70% of the institutional LPs in Madison’s prior fund re-upped into Fund V.  Additionally, 52% of the capital committed for Fund V came from new limited partners, both domestically and abroad.

Madison’s global, institutional investor base has historically included public and corporate pension plans, sovereign wealth funds, endowments and foundations, insurance companies, family offices and high net worth individuals located in the United States, the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. Madison has now expanded its investor presence to include Australia, Latin America and Canada, as well as new regions within the Middle East, Europe and Asia.

Fund V expands on Madison’s investment strategy to serve as a single source of customized flexible financing solutions for borrowers’ unique needs providing them with speed and certainty of execution.  Fund V originates and acquires loans across asset classes including multifamily, mixed use, retail, office, industrial, land and hotel. Madison invests in transitional and special situation loans as well as provides financing for ground-up development and construction.

In 2021, Madison completed 72 transactions with a gross transaction volume of approximately $6.4 billion across all of its debt investment strategies.

Adam Tantleff, Managing Principal of Madison Realty Capital, said, “Our extensive experience through multiple cycles over the past 17 years is what led both existing and new investors to place their confidence in Madison during this unprecedented time.  We are grateful for the trust they have placed in our team, and look forward to continue executing on our investors’ behalf.”

Madison Realty Capital Debt Fund IV LP held its final close in 2019 and raised $1.14 billion in equity commitments. Since inception, Madison has completed approximately $20 billion in debt and equity transactions.

About Madison Realty Capital 

Madison Realty Capital is a vertically integrated real estate private equity firm that, as of December 31, 2021, manages approximately $8 billion in total assets on behalf of a global institutional investor base. Since 2004, Madison Realty Capital has completed approximately $20 billion in transactions providing reputable borrowers with flexible and highly customized financing solutions, strong underwriting capabilities, and certainty of execution. Headquartered in New York City, with an office in Los Angeles, the firm has approximately 70 employees across all real estate investment, development, and property management disciplines. Madison Realty Capital has been frequently named to the Commercial Observer’s prestigious “Power 100” list of New York City real estate players and is consistently cited as a top construction lender, among other industry recognitions. To learn more, follow us on LinkedIn and visit www.madisonrealtycapital.com.

Nathaniel Garnick/Grace Cartwright
Gasthalter & Co.
+1 (212) 257-4170
madisonrealty@gasthalter.com

Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., Jan. 11, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Following food authority EFSA’s ban of food additive titanium dioxide (TiO2), Blue California, the producer of natural science-based ingredients, launched novel food-grade whitening agents as a clean-label alternative to replacing potential health risk white colorant titanium dioxide.

“Brands that seek to replace the titanium dioxide white colorant will find many benefits to Blue California’s patent-pending food-grade whitening agents,” said Cuie Yan, Ph.D., vice president of encapsulation. “Our alternative to titanium dioxide is industry-changing with opacifying or whitening effects and excellent sensory benefits with a delicious creamy/rich mouthfeel, and contains proprietary ingredients that may have additional benefits such as supporting cognitive health.”

One of the most widely used food pigments is titanium dioxide (E171), an odorless powder that enhances foods’ white color or opacity. The most common titanium dioxide products are chewing gum, candies, pastries, chocolates, coffee creamers, and cake decorations. Titanium dioxide is also used as a pigment in paints and medicines.

In recent decades, concerns about the risks of titanium dioxide consumption have grown. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) categorizes titanium dioxide as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) at a maximum of 1% weight, but other organizations have issued warnings.

New governing rules in Europe are in action for producers to reformulate their products during a six-month window of phasing out titanium dioxide (E171). This follows the food authority European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) decision deeming titanium dioxide (E171) as “not safe” in 2021, and now a complete ban in 2022. France suspended the use of titanium dioxide in January 2020.

“Our clean-label, food-grade, and effective whitening agents are heat and pH stable for a variety of applications that match the performance of titanium dioxide yet overcome its safety concerns,” said Yan. “We’ve innovated these solutions as safe alternatives for brands that need to reformulate products rapidly due to government authorities concerns, bans, and phasing out titanium dioxide.”

Blue California’s patent-pending food-grade whitening powders have a similar size in diameter to the traditional titanium dioxide with higher L values (whiter), as shown in Table 1 below:

Table 1. Color and particle size comparison between Blue California’s novel food-grade whitening agents versus titanium dioxide whitening powder.

Sample ID	Color Measurement			Redispersion Diameter
	L	a	b	nm
Titanium Dioxide (reference)	96.06	-0.26	1.54	310.5
Novel Food Grade Whitening 1	97.42	-0.09	1.45	266.4
Novel Food Grade Whitening 2	97.43	-0.09	1.95	278.2
Novel Food Grade Whitening 3	97.48	-0.11	1.43	305.0

Note: The a and b ‘Color Measurement’ values are color depth markers of red, green, blue, and yellow. The ‘Redispersion Diameter’ measures the particle size.

The food-grade whitening agents have been tested in chewing gum compared to titanium dioxide. The whitening effect results of Blue California’s whitening agents are as remarkable as titanium dioxide. The whiteness increases as the dosage increases.

“We’re ready to collaborate with product developers to replace titanium dioxide with a clean-label, delicious, and safer whitening agents in their product lines,” said Yan.

About Blue California

Blue California is an entrepreneurial, science-based solutions provider and manufacturer of clean, natural, and sustainable ingredients used in food, beverage, flavor, fragrance, dietary supplements, personal care, and cosmetic products. For more than 25 years, Blue California has built a strong reputation for creating value in these diverse natural products and nature-inspired industries.

Attachment

• Chewing gum is whitened with titanium dioxide 

Ana Arakelian
Blue California
+1-949-635-1991
ana@bluecal-ingredients.com

Issued by the German Federal Office for Information Security, the Certification Reinforces Zoom’s Commitment to Security

SAN JOSE, Calif., Jan. 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Zoom Video Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZM) today announced that Zoom Meeting Client version 5.6.6 has become the first video communications client to attain certification for Common Criteria Evaluation Assurance Level 2 (v3.1 rev. 5), issued by the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI).

Common Criteria is an international standard for objectively evaluating that an IT product satisfies a defined set of security requirements. The evaluation involves analyzing a specific set of security targets, including guidance documentation, architectural design, life cycle aspects, testing and vulnerability assessment. The Zoom Meeting Client v5.6.6 has been evaluated by the BSI against the Common Criteria standard and found to exhibit a clear chain of evidence that the process of specification, implementation, and evaluation has been conducted in a rigorous and standard manner.

Mutually recognized in more than 25 countries including the UK, US, Canada, and Germany, Common Criteria is regarded as a leading benchmark for IT product security certification. A growing number of users expect IT vendors to produce trusted and reliable evidence for the cybersecurity capabilities of their products.

“This Common Criteria certification represents a major milestone for Zoom,” said Jason Lee, Chief Information Security Officer at Zoom. “We’re the first video communications client to receive this important certification, reinforcing our commitment to our customers. Security and privacy are the cornerstones of everything we do, and we are continually innovating secure solutions for all users of our platform.”

At present, the BSI has certified Zoom version 5.6.6 for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. While version 5.6.6 was the version of Zoom client available at the time of the certification, we always recommend customers utilize the newest version of the client to take advantage of Zoom’s latest security updates and features.

“The Common Criteria certification is a global benchmark in cybersecurity,” said Sandro Amendola, Head of Standardization/Certification/Telecommunications Networks Security Department, BSI. “The Zoom client demonstrated a high security standard across its product, successfully completing one of the most demanding evaluation procedures a company can undertake.”

To learn more about Zoom’s Common Criteria certification, please visit the BSI website and the Zoom Trust Center.

About Zoom
Zoom is for you. We help you express ideas, connect to others, and build toward a future limited only by your imagination. Our frictionless communications platform is the only one that started with video as its foundation, and we have set the standard for innovation ever since. That is why we are an intuitive, scalable, and secure choice for individuals, small businesses, and large enterprises alike. Founded in 2011, Zoom is publicly traded (NASDAQ: ZM) and headquartered in San Jose, California. Visit zoom.com and follow @zoom.

Zoom Public Relations
Matt Nagel
press@zoom.us