Archive for December, 2010

Ocean Nutrition Canada announces strategic alliance with Wilmar International / Singapore

Posted On: December 14, 2010

Ocean Nutrition Canada Limited (ONC), the world’s largest Omega-3 EPA/DHA solutions provider, and supplier of MEG-3® brand Omega-3 EPA/DHA (eicosapentaenoic acid/docosahexaenoic acid) ingredients, announced that it has entered into an exclusive long term strategic agreement with Wilmar International Limited (Wilmar), based in Singapore. Wilmar is Asia’s leading agribusiness, and a global leader in Omega-3 foods.

The collaboration between these two market giants has resulted in the launch of Wilmar’s new Arawana 3A+ premium cooking oil containing MEG-3® fish oil. Wilmar, in association with the Chinese Nutrition Society (CNS), is launching Arawana blended oil enriched with MEG-3® fish oil. Arawana 3A+ premium cooking oil is a blended vegetable oil product that contains sufficient Omega-3 to help Chinese consumers meet IOM Omega-3 intake recommendations.

The product is widely distributed in China and is available at supermarkets and traditional markets throughout the country.

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From Issue 12 • Categories: Tags: Aquapreneur, Arawana 3A+, DHA, EPA, fish oil, MEG-3, Ocean Nutrition, omega 3 • No Comments

Starfish set the path for new cure for inflammation?

Posted On: December 9, 2010

A recent piece from BBC News highlights the exciting work from Scottish firm Glycomar and the Scottish Association for Marine Science.

Lurking in the seas of Scotland is an unlikely candidate for a medical breakthrough. But scientists believe the starfish could hold the key to finding a new treatment for inflammatory conditions such as asthma, hay fever and arthritis.

The species they are interested in is the spiny starfish (Marthasterias glacialis), and in particular the slimy goo that covers its body. The team says that chemicals in this coating could inspire new medicines. While most man-made structures that are placed in the water rapidly get caked with a mixture of marine life, starfish manage to keep their surface clear.

Dr Charlie Bavington, from GlycoMar, a marine biotechnology company based at the Scottish Association for Marine Science in Oban, explained: “Starfish live in the sea, and are bathed in a solution of bacteria, larvae, viruses and all sorts of things that are looking for somewhere to live.

“But starfish are better than Teflon: they have a very efficient anti-fouling surface that prevents things from sticking.”

And it is this non-stick property that has grabbed medical scientists’ attention, particularly in the field of inflammation.

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From Issue 12 • Categories: Tags: Aquapreneur, biomaterials, glycomar, marine bioprospecting, marine ingredient, marine natural product, Scottish Association for Marine Science, seafood byproducts • No Comments

Bioremediation Of Shrimp Biowaste By Using Natural Probiotic For Chitin And Carotenoid Production

Posted On: December 1, 2010

Kandra Prameela1*, Ch. Murali Mohan1, P.V. Smitha1, K.P.J. Hemalatha2

1Department of Biotechnology, GITAM Institute of Technology, Rushikonda, GITAM University,Visakhapatnam 530 045, India

2Department of Biochemistry, College of Science and Technology, Andhra University,Visakhapatnam 530 045, India

ABSTRACT: The production of chitin and carotenoids from shrimp biowaste by using natural probiotic has been studied. The fermentation studies were determined by varying inoculum levels from 1 to 10%, glucose concentration from 0 to 15% and incubation time 0 to 72 hours.

The maximum decrease of pH 3.01 and an increase of total titrable acidity (TTA) 2.715 were obtained for incubation period of 72hours with 5% inoculum level and 15% glucose concentration. The effect of fermentation by natural probiotic on the production of chitin (as indicated by deproteinization and demineralization efficiency) and recovery of carotenoids were also studied.

Deproteinization of 89% and demineralization of 69% were obtained by fermentation of shrimp biowaste with natural probiotic. The carotenoid and chitin recovery from shrimp biowaste was 72.6% and 5.65% respectively. As the process by using natural probiotic was found to be efficient, economical, it becomes an alternative method for hazardous chemical method used in extraction of chitin and carotenoids.

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From Issue 12 • Categories: Tags: Aquapreneur, astaxanthin, biomaterials, carotenoid, chitin, chitosan, marine biopolymer, probiotic, seafood byproducts • No Comments

Study Reveals that Seaweed and Scallop Capsules May Aid Weight Loss

Posted On: December 1, 2010

Bioactive capsules made from brown seaweed lipids and omega-3 rich scallop by-products may reduce body weight and fat mass, according to a new research in mice.

The effects of omega-3 from scallop by-products and fucoxanthin from wakame seaweed can be combined to produce significant reductions in body weight and white adipose tissue, suggests the study published in the Journal of Food Science.

“These results suggest that incorporation of wakame seaweed lipids into scallop-derived phospholipids by means of capsulation may lead to an additive increase in the anti-obesity properties of these bioactive lipids,” concluded the Japanese researchers, led by Tomoko Okada from Department of Food Science at Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine.

The authors said that since that both fucoxanthin and omega-3 fatty acids show encouraging anti-obesity activity, the incorporation of wakame seaweed lipids into omega-3 rich phospholipids could enhance the benefits for fat metabolism and weight loss.

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From Issue 12 • Categories: Tags: Aquapreneur, fucoidans, fucoxanthin, functional ingredients, marine extract, marine ingredient, marine ingredients, nutraceutical, omega 3, seafood byproducts, seaweed • 1 Comment

Neptune Technologies & Bioressources Inc. Reports Completion of Acasti Pharma Comparative Benchmarking Program versus Lovaza®

Posted On: December 1, 2010

Neptune Technologies & Bioressources Inc.  subsidiary, Acasti Pharma, reports the completion of its  preclinical program designed to compare the lipid management effects of Acasti’s drug candidate CaPre™ versus prescription drug Lovaza®.  Blood lipids were monitored in two animal models in order to assess and compare the efficacy of CaPre™ and Lovaza® over a 12-week treatment period.

• A low daily human equivalent dose of 1g CaPre™ reduced LDL-C (bad cholesterol) levels by 40% and increased HDL-C (good cholesterol) by 180% in a normal rat model (“SD”) while 4gr of Lovaza® did not show any significant effect.
• An even lower daily human equivalent dose of 0.5g CaPre™ was shown to be as efficient as 4g of Lovaza® in reducing triglycerides levels by 40-50% in obese rats with severe diabetes and high triglycerides (“ZDF”)

“These results suggest that a low (0.5g to 1g) daily dosing of CaPre™ is more effective than 4g Lovaza® in elevating HDL-C and lowering LDL-C and triglycerides.  These effects become even more striking considering that a 1g daily dose of CaPre™ contains 8.9 times less EPA and 11.1 times less DHA than the recommended 4g daily dose of Lovaza®. It is also important to note that the triglycerides reduction was observed only after 4 weeks and was maintained throughout the study suggesting a significant metabolic impact of CaPre™,” said Dr. Bruno Battistini, Senior Director, Pharmaceutical R&D of Acasti.

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From Issue 12 • Categories: Tags: Acasti Pharma, Aquapreneur, CaPre, fish oil, krill oil, marine ingredients, Neptune Technologies & Bioresources, omega 3 • No Comments