Aker BioMarine Antarctic Announces New COO

Posted On: May 12, 2012

Aker BioMarine Antarctic announced the promotion of Matts Johansen to the position of chief operating officer. Johansen has served as executive vice president of marketing and sales since October 2009.  During his tenure he has overseen  sales growth in North America and Europe, and the development of the Asian markets in parallel with regulatory filings.

In this new role Johansen will be responsible for marketing and sales, business development, regulatory, research and development, shore-based production and process development.

 

From Issue 15 • Categories: Tags: Aker BioMarine Antarctic, Aquapreneur, DHA, EPA, fish oil, functional ingredients, krill oil, marine ingredients, seafood byproducts • No Comments

Neptune Technologies & Bioressources Obtains New Patent Directed to Compositions of Omega-3 Fatty Acid Phospholipids Including Krill Oil

Posted On: October 6, 2011

Neptune Technologies and Bioressources Inc., announces that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) has granted Neptune a new patent covering omega-3 phospholipids comprising polyunsaturated fatty acids, one of the main bioactive ingredients in all recognized Krill Oils. The patent is granted for the U.S. market and is valid until 2025.

Neptune’s recently issued U.S. patent (U.S. No. 8,030,348) covers, regardless of the extraction process, novel omega-3 fatty acid phospholipid compositions suitable for human consumption, synthetic and/or natural, including compositions extracted from marine and aquatic biomasses. The 8,030,348 patent protects Neptune Krill Oil (NKO(R)) and also covers amongst others, oils and powders extracted from krill, containing marine phospholipids bonded to EPA and/or DHA, distributed and/or sold in the U.S. market.

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From Issue 15 • Categories: Tags: Aquapreneur, DHA, EPA, fish oil, krill oil, Neptune Technologies & Bioresources, omega 3 • No Comments

Neptune Technologies gains NSF environmental claims “OK”

Posted On: May 13, 2011

NSF International has approved the key environmental claims of krill player Neptune Technologies & Bioressources Inc. following an extensive and rigorous review.

The audit ensured conformance to the International Organization for Standardization (IS0) 14021: Environmental labels and declaration, and the Federal Trade Commission (16 CFR PART 260): Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims.

“The efforts that Neptune put into having their claims verified is laudable,” said Petie Davis, sustainability manager at NSF International. “They demonstrated that they had the systems, processes, documentation, and data to support all of their product and process claims,” she added.

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From Issue 14 • Categories: Tags: Aquapreneur, fish oil, krill oil, Neptune Technologies & Bioresources, NSF • No Comments

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

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

Krill Oil shown to aid fat metabolism better than fish oil in recent study

Posted On: March 22, 2011

In a recent Italian study (J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr. 2011 Feb 25. DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0396.2011.01135.x), Krill oil inhibited liver fat production and reduced levels of triglycerides and cholesterol more than fish oil. Rats fed a diet enriched with krill oil experienced more pronounced inhibition of hepatic lipogenesis than rats fed fish oil, at least at short feeding times, and the researchers said the krill oil-fed rats had lower levels of hepatic triglycerides and cholesterol comparison to fish oil-fed rats.

The animals were treated for 6 weeks with diets containing 2.5-percent krill oil or 2.5-percent fish oil, or a control diet without supplementation of omega-3 fatty acids. The activity of three key enzymes in the liver involved in the metabolism of fat was investigated together with blood and liver levels. The study revealed beneficial effects of both omega-3 supplements. The inhibition of the three enzymes was significant with krill oil and fish oil, but the response to krill oil treatment was more pronounced, especially at shorter feeding periods (two to three weeks). The study also revealed fat-lowering effects from the omega-3 supplements and confirmed previous findings that krill oil is effective in reducing liver triglyceride and cholesterol levels. Krill oil reduced liver triglycerides by 20 percent, compared to 10 percent in the fish oil group, whereas the cholesterol levels decreased by 33 percent (krill oil) and 21 percent (fish oil).

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From Issue 13 • Categories: Tags: Aker Biomarine, Aquapreneur, fish oil, functional ingredients, krill oil, marine ingredients, omega 3 • 1 Comment

Superba Krill Oil Deemed Safe for Foods

Posted On: February 28, 2011

Aker BioMarine Antarctic announces today that Superba™ Krill Oil has been determined to be safe for use as a human food ingredient by an independent panel of recognized experts. The panel conducted a critical review of extensive safety, toxicology and clinical research data obtained from animal and human testing, based on scientific procedures and safety assessment criteria established by the U.S. FDA. The determination comes from experts qualified by scientific training and is based on Superba™ Krill Oil’s intended use in food.

“Safety is of course the most important factor for food ingredients and this GRAS finding by independent experts is an important validation of Superba’s safety for foods and supplements,” stated Nils Hoem, PhD, Chief Scientist at Aker BioMarine. “The safety of Superba Krill Oil has been exhaustively demonstrated, and this GRAS process is an important step in validating the studies we have conducted on our products. Superba is a minimally processed whole food harvested from the pristine Antarctic waters.”

The high-phospholipid krill ingredients are intended for use as a source of omega-3 fatty acids in a number of food categories including beverages, cereals, cheese, dairy products, and other nutritional foods. The company is actively exploring functional food applications in the U.S. as well as in Europe where Superba™ Krill Oil is recognized as safe under the Novel Foods regulation.

“The health benefits demonstrated by Superba Krill phospholipid EPA & DHA in clinical research will now be available in food applications,” stated Hoem. “Now the superior bio-efficiency, tolerability, and stability provided by krill’s phospholipid omega-3 fatty acids will benefit consumers in convenient food products.”

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From Issue 13 • Categories: Tags: Aker Biomarine, Aquapreneur, fish oil, krill oil, marine biotechnology, marine ingredient, marine ingredients, nutraceutical, omega 3, Superba • 1 Comment

Enzymotec to now test for “foul odor” chemicals in their krill products

Posted On: January 9, 2011

Israeli supplier Enzymotec has implemented a programme to test for and publicise levels for two chemicals produced by marine life and which produce the “foul odor of sea food”. The smell of marine life like krill is a barometer of freshness.

Enzymotec said its krill oil data sheets would now document levels of tri methyl amine (TMA) and total volatile nitrogen (TVN). While there is no requirement to record these levels under EU Good manufacturing Practice (GMP) law, the company urged others to follow its lead to boost customer confidence across the sector.

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From Issue 13 • Categories: Tags: Aquapreneur, Enzymotec, fish oil, functional ingredients, krill oil, marine ingredients, omega 3 • 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

Aker BioMarine joins GOED

Posted On: November 24, 2010

Aker BioMarine, has joined the leading marine-sourced omega-3 trade group, the Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3 (GOED). Aker hopes GOED membership will aid krill expansion

In a statement Aker noted the momentum the krill sector had gathered in the past three years – although it remains a miniscule section of the overall omega-3 supply – and its expectation that GOED membership could help build this momentum.

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From Issue 12 • Categories: Tags: Aker Biomarine, Aquapreneur, fish oil, functional ingredients, GOED, krill oil, marine ingredients, omega 3 • No Comments

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