Valensa International, Eustis, FL, has reached an agreement with Algal Scientific Corporation, Plymouth, MI, to commercialize Algal’s PureAlgal branded ingredients—whole dried microalgae (Euglena gracilis) and purified beta-1,3-glucan—in the human health and nutrition markets.

Valensa is ready to offer these algae based ingredients to its customers in various channels like Natural & Health food stores as unique, differentiated algae ingredients and also as part of its Immunum formulations. These products have a strategic fit into Valensa and further reiterates its status in the microalgae business with existing products like Zanthin Natural Astaxanthin Complex (extracted from Haematococcus pluvialis grown in Chile), Parry Organic Spirulina & Organic Chlorella.

PureAlgal Euglena gracilis is a golden yellow powder produced from U.S.-grown, non-GMO Euglena gracilis that is free of allergens and contains about 50% beta-1, 3-glucan along with numerous micronutrients, minerals, and vitamins. Algal Scientific also produces PureAlgal Beta-Glucan 95% through a water-based, non-solvent, and low temperature extraction process to create a high purity beta-1, 3-glucan. Valensa has conducted in vitro pilot studies with both ingredients and plans to develop a full-scale, gold-standard clinical trial in early 2017.

Valensa will use the Algal Scientific ingredients in a series of formulated dietary supplement products, including as a component in its “greens” product lines, such as those containing Parry Organic Spirulina and Zanthin Natural Astaxanthin, to offer immune health support.

According to John Minatelli, senior vice president of business development at Valensa, this partnering with Algal Scientific will allow for the development of new science and unique products moving into the future. “Algal Scientific has done a great job in developing a substantial body of science with its Euglena gracilis material in the animal health field. Based on this and our own initial clinical work with the material, we are very excited about the opportunity for developing formulated products under the Immunum product line to offer a range of immune health products,” he said. “As people are now beginning to understand the importance of immune health support, we are actively developing next-generation solutions for the market, helping educate the industry and expecting to see the market expand dramatically.”

Manufactured in the U.S., in a 30,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art fermentation facility, PureAlgal products are made through a patent-pending four-step process. The Euglena gracilis microalgae are grown indoors in sterile stainless steel tanks with purified water and food-grade fermentation nutrients. Once the algae accumulates 50% beta-glucan by weight, it is filtered and separated from the fermentation broth.

The beta-glucan can be further extracted intact and undamaged from the algae without the use of solvents or high heat, retaining its natural potency. The resulting product is dried, milled and packaged. Compared to yeast-based products containing only 60-80% beta-glucan, PureAlgal Beta-Glucan is more concentrated at 95%. It is also considered more bioavailable due to its linear structure and small particle size as well as being more efficacious in respect to key immune markers.