Funding awarded to map genome of krill

Posted On: May 13, 2011

A Canadian researcher who completed his PhD at the Australian Antarctic Division has been awarded a $300,000 fellowship to map the genome of the Antarctic Krill.
Geneticist, Dr Bruce Deagle, is the first recipient of the inaugural R J L Hawke Post Doctoral Fellowship in Antarctic Environmental Science.

Minister for the Environment, Tony Burke said Dr Deagle would use modern genetic technologies to sequence the crustacean’s genome, as well as examine gene expression and how it related to temperature and ocean acidification.

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From Issue 14 • Categories: Tags: Aquapreneur, fish oil, functional ingredients, genome mapping, krill, krill oil, marine bioprospecting, marine natural product • No Comments

Omega-3 may slash levels of heart disease risk factor

Posted On: May 6, 2011

Supplements of omega-3 fatty acids are associated with lower levels of an amino acid called homocysteine, an amino acid linked to increased risks of heart disease and dementia, says a new meta-analysis of the scientific evidence.

Data from 11 trials including 720 people with doses of omega-3 ranging from 0.2 to 6 grams per day concluded that supplementation with omega-3s was associated with lower blood levels of homocysteine.

“Our systematic review provides, to our knowledge, the most comprehensive assessment to date of the effects of omega-3 PUFAs on plasma homocysteine,” wrote the researchers in Nutrition.

Researchers from China, Taiwan, and Australia added that a more comprehensive analysis would benefit from additional rigorous and long term trials. They also noted that such trials should also seek to measure whether the reduction in homocysteine levels actually produces an important health effect, such as a reduction in heart disease.

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From Issue 14 • Categories: Tags: Aquapreneur, DHA, EPA, fish oil, marine biotechnology, marine ingredient, marine ingredients, marine natural product, nutraceutical, omega 3, PUFA, seafood byproducts • No Comments

Bayer Healthcare’s Arctic Wonder market test succeeds with Neptune Krill Oil, leading to launch

Posted On: April 15, 2011

Neptune Technologies & Bioressources Inc.  announced recently that Bayer Healthcare, LLC Consumer Care Division has formally launched its Arctic Wonder proprietary Neptune Krill Oil (“NKO”) in the United States in March 2011 after a succesful market test.

Bayer’s market test conducted over the last year with NKO® under its Arctic Wonder brand was performed in the US internet direct response e-commerce channel of trade.

“Acasti management team, is delighted by the relationship Neptune has developed with Bayer. This is yet another significant milestone for Neptune’s strategic planning which will help NKO® achieve extensive consumer awareness and appreciation. We are looking forward to a successful long-term collaboration with Bayer”, stated Dr. Tina Sampalis, President of Acasti Pharma.

“The agreement with Bayer, the market test results and the marketing approach for Arctic Wonder NKO® not only create broad consumer awareness, confidence and appreciation but also distinguish NKO® as the superior and prime choice amongst competitor krill oil products”, said Mr. Henri Harland, President and CEO of Neptune.“Arctic Wonder is entering the rapidly growing omega-3 market which has shown a sustained annual growth of 12% according to the Frost and Sullivan Report 2010. The omega-3 category is valued at $1.7 billion and expected to reach $3.5 billion in 2015. We believe the full launch by Bayer of Arctic Wonder will achieve immediate success which will in turn positively influence our growth and increase Neptune’s krill oil market share, reinforcing Neptune’s position as the industry leader and Neptune Krill Oil as the gold standard of quality and efficacy for krill oil products in the market.” he added.

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From Issue 14 • Categories: Tags: Acasti Pharma, Aquapreneur, Arctic Wonder, commercialize, DHA, EPA, fish oil, functional ingredients, krill oil, marine biotechnology, marine ingredients, Neptune Technologies & Bioresources, NKO, nutraceutical, omega 3, pharmaceutical, seafood byproducts • No Comments

Aurora Algae has announced the launch of new A2 product portfolio, including omega-3 products

Posted On: April 15, 2011

Aurora Algae recently introduced the A2 product portfolio, a series of natural products derived from its proprietary algae platform. The A2 product portfolio is uniquely sustainable, scalable, and flexible to address growing demand in the explosive nutrition, aquaculture, pharmaceutical, and energy markets

 

A2 Omega-3™ is a family of Omega-3 oils aimed at the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical markets with the goal of providing a natural, sustainable and cost-effective alternative to fish oil and fermented products. The first offering in this family, A2 EPA Pure™ will make the benefits of EPA available to a broader market since it is derived from an allergen-free, vegetarian source.

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From Issue 14 • Categories: Tags: A2, A2 EPA Pure, A2 Omega-3, algae, aquaculture, Aquapreneur, Aurora Algae, bioprocessing, DHA, EPA, fish oil, fish protein, functional food, functional ingredients, marine ingredients, omega 3, sustainable • No Comments

New algae-derived EPA to target pharma omega-3 market

Posted On: April 15, 2011

New Zealand-based Photonz Corporation has signed an agreement with Separex to develop a pharma-grade EPA omega-3 manufacturing process from fermented microalgal biomass.

Under the agreement, Separex, under a license of Stanipharm, will develop a manufacturing process, scalable to industrial volumes, to concentrate the Omega-3 fatty acid, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), which Photonz extracts from fermented microalgal biomass.

Photonz’s proprietary processes produce the EPA by fermenting a marine microalgal clone (improved by strain selection not genetic engineering) to produce a biomass rich in lipids from which it extracts the Omega-3.

The agreement follows two other significant achievements, announced last year, in which Photonz proved the feasibility of its continuous fermentation system and then harvested the first batch of algal biomass from its prototype industrial plant. The plant is now producing on a small industrial scale and has the potential to produce tonnes of algal material per year. The lipids it produces will be used by Separex to produce concentrated EPA. Photonz is, in parallel, targetting the development of downstream purification processes to produce high purity EPA, suitable for pharmaceutical applications, including novel therapeutics.

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From Issue 14 • Categories: Tags: algae, Aquapreneur, bioprocessing, DHA, EPA, fish oil, functional ingredients, marine drugs, marine ingredient, marine ingredients, microalgae, microalgal biomass, omega 3, Photonz, Separex • No Comments

Martek Applies for Novel Food Approval for New DHA and EPA Rich Algal Oil

Posted On: April 6, 2011

Martek Biosciences Corporation has applied to the UK Food Standards Agency for approval to market algal oil that is produced from Schizochytrium microalgae, as a novel food ingredient. A novel food is a food or food ingredient that does not have a significant history of consumption within the European Union before 15 May 1997.

Martek has previously gained approval to use docosahaexanoic acid (DHA)-rich oil, produced from the algae Schizochytrium sp, as a novel food ingredient. Martek has now developed an improved strain from another species of Schizochytrium microalgae that produces an oil rich in both DHA and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). The oil is known as DHA-O.

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From Issue 14 • Categories: Tags: algae, DHA, EPA, fish oil, functional ingredients, marine biotechnology, marine ingredient, marine ingredients, Martek, microalgae, omega 3 • No Comments

Marine Ingredients event planned for June in London

Posted On: April 6, 2011

A growing body of research indicates the potential for the marine environment as a unique source of functional food ingredients.  But what makes them unique? How can they be used in foods? And what are the benefits of using them?

Marine Ingredients: Oceans of Opportunity will explore these questions and equip delegates with an improved technical and market understanding of marine ingredients as well as an insight into their application potential.

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From Issue 14 • Categories: Tags: algae, Aquapreneur, fish oil, fish protein, functional ingredients, marine biotechnology, marine ingredients, seafood byproducts • No Comments

Eskimo study supports omega-3 for heart health

Posted On: March 28, 2011

High intakes of omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of obesity-related chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, according to new findings from a study with Alaskan Eskimos.

Yup’ik Eskimos, the most famous indigenous people of the US’ 49th State, have similar obesity rates to the lower 48 states, but the incidence of type-2 diabetes is only 3.3 percent, compared with 7.7 percent nationally.

According to researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, this apparent reduction in diabetes risk is linked to the observation that the Eskimos’ average consumption of omega-3s from fish is 20 times more than people in the lower 48 states.

The new study, published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, echoes findings from the first studies in this area from 40 years ago, carried out by Dr Jørn Dyerberg and his Danish colleagues amongst the Inuit of Greenland. The Danish scientists sought to understand how the Greenland Eskimos, or Inuit, could eat a high fat diet and still have one of the lowest death rates from cardiovascular disease on the planet.

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From Issue 13 • Categories: Tags: Aquapreneur, cardiovascular disease, DHA, EPA, fish oil, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, functional ingredients, marine biotechnology, marine ingredients, omega 3, University of Alaska-Fairbanks • No Comments

Seafood byproduct research in Alaska in possible jeopardy

Posted On: March 25, 2011

Seafood byproduct research at the Fisheries Industrial Technology Center (FITC) on Kodiak’s Near Island could be in trouble if President Barack Obama’s budget proposal for the coming fiscal year comes to fruition.

The proposal would eliminate funding for the federal agricultural research station in Alaska, and calls for a cut of $42 million to the Agriculture Research Service, a branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

If the cuts go through, it would result in a loss of almost $1 million dollars to the FITC — a bad proposition for the seafood waste research.

“The research that it funds stops,” FITC interim director Paula Cullenberg said. “It’s the primary source of funding for seafood byproduct research in the state and one of the few in the country. I think it would be a bad thing for Alaska.”

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From Issue 13 • Categories: Tags: Alaska, Aquapreneur, biomaterials, bioprocessing, chitosan, fish oil, fish protein, Fisheries Industrial Technology Center, functional ingredients, marine ingredients, nutraceutical, omega 3, seafood byproducts, sustainable • No Comments

New Study Shows Omega 3s Are Crucial in the Prevention of AMD in Women

Posted On: March 22, 2011

A new study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology suggests that regular consumption of EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) omega 3s and fish could significantly decrease the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and may be of benefit in the primary prevention of AMD.

Researchers conducted the study among 38,022 females enrolled in the Women’s Health Study, who completed a food frequency questionnaire and were free of diagnosis of AMD at baseline. The goal of the study was to determine whether omega 3 fatty acids and fish affects incidence of AMD in women.

Women in the highest tertile of intake for DHA, compared with those in the lowest, had a multivariate-adjusted relative risk of AMD of 0.62. For EPA, women in the highest tertile of intake had a relative risk of 0.66. Consistent with the findings for DHA and EPA, women who consumed one or more servings of fish per week, compared with those who consumed less than one serving per month, had a relative risk of AMD of 0.58.

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From Issue 13 • Categories: Tags: Aquapreneur, DHA, EPA, fish oil, functional ingredients, marine ingredients, omega 3 • No Comments

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