From cuisine to beauty, marine-derived products are in high demand these days. For the nutraceuticals industry in particular, omega 3 fatty acids have become the superstars among marine-based ingredients due to consumers' positive re����sponse to DHA's (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA's (eicosapentaenoic acid) benefits in the areas of eye, cognitive, joint and cardiovascular health. So it's no wonder, as Patrick Luchsinger, marketing manager, North America, Lipid Nutrition points out, that omega 3 fatty acids now rank as the fifth most frequently used dietary supplement behind multivitamins, calcium, vitamin C and vitamin E.

The other added benefit of the omega 3 category is that it seems to have opened the door for other marine-derived ingredients to showcase their nutritional benefits. For example, microalgae, a category that has grown in double-digits over the last few years, has the potential to act as a source of vitamins, polysaccharides, protein, fatty acids and carotenoids, while glucosamine, another solid category, has gained attention for its role in supporting joint health. With regard to the latter, Larry Kolb, president, U.S. Operations, TSI Health Science, Missoula, MT, says the shellfish-derived glucosamine category continues to grow worldwide at a rate of 5-10% a year.

And more exotic ingredients continue to proliferate. "In the past few years, you have started to see many marine nutraceuticals come to the forefront of the marketplace," said Deborah Vickery, director of marketing and new product development, Nutraceuticals International LLC, Elmwood Park, NJ. "The market has expanded a great deal from standard fish oils and sea salts to include a wide range of marine products like to chitosan, coral calcium, sea cucumber, kelp, spirulina, green lipped mussel and seaweed extracts."

The Seaweed Trend

While there is increasing awareness and interest in all of the marine nutraceutical ingredients, from astaxanthin to omega 3's, Kat Frey, director of operations, AHD International, LLC, Atlanta, GA, says her company sees the highest level of customer interest in seaweed products, specifically fucoxanthin. "While we have offered this ingredient for the past year, the interest really seems to have peaked over the last four months," she said. "It is a product with limited availability, but huge potential."

According to Leonid Ber, MD, senior director, Research & Scientific Validation, Garden of Life, West Palm Beach, FL, fucoxanthin is a carotenoid typically found in the chloroplasts of brown seaweed, giving them a brown or olive-green color. (In general, there are three major types of seaweed: green, red and brown.) Similar to other carotenoids, fucoxanthin possesses antioxidant properties.

Dr. Ber went on to explain the reason for the excitement behind the fucoxanthin category: "There has been a shift in the focus of scientific research from algal polysaccharides to algal carotenoids. A perfect example of this is the shift from fucoidan to fucoxanthin. Fucoidan, a sulphated polysaccharide typically found in several seaweed extracts has many beneficial properties, including anti-angiogenic properties. However, more recently, fucoxanthin, a carotenoid found in seaweed in much smaller concentrations, has been shown to have some unique properties, particularly its ability to up-regulate uncoupling protein-1 (UCP-1, or thermeogenin) production in the adipose tissue, which has made it a new 'superstar' in the weight loss category."

Nutraceuticals International's Ms. Vickery went as far as to suggest that fucoxanthin has the potential to blow every other marine product "out of the water." "It is not an appetite suppressant like hoodia and it is not a metabolic stimulant like ephedra. It's also not a lipid blocker like white kidney bean," she said. "What fucoxanthin does in the simplest terms is turn stored body fat into protein, which is then used by the body for energy."

Dr. Ber mentioned two clinical trials in 2006 that were conducted by a research group led by Prof. Abidov of the Russian Institute of Immunopathology in collaboration with the National Institute for Sport Performance based in Moscow, Russia. The first pilot-type study dealt with establishing a therapeutic range based on changes in energy expenditure rate in human volunteers supplemented with various doses of fucoxanthin alone and in combination with CLNA (punicic acid from pomegranate seed oil). The second study was a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial where a total of 110 obese patients underwent a 16-week supplementation period, and showed positive, statistically significant results. The studies are expected to be published before the end of this year.

According to Dr. Ber, these clinical trials represent the first confirmation of the efficacy of orally supplemented fucoxanthin in humans in terms of weight management. The results revealed that fucoxanthin has particular affinity to visceral fat. (Visceral fat is the type of fat covering organs of the abdominal cavity, specifically the liver and omentum.)

Nutraceuticals International recently launched fucoxanthin made from wakame seaweed. Although fucoxanthin can be found in miso soup or seaweed salad, Ms. Vickery claims there's no point in rushing out and drinking gallons of miso soup to get the same effect because the concentrations of fucoxanthin in raw wakame seaweed are too low to be effective. "It would take hundreds of gallons of miso soup to initiate the same effect in one capsule of fucoxanthin 10% extract," she said. "New patented extraction methods are increasing the potency of marine nutraceuticals like fucoxanthin exponentially. And it is this type of technology that is helping increase the effectiveness, and in turn the popularity of many marine nutraceuticals."

Beyond supplements, Dan Stauber, CEO, Stauber Performance Ingredients, Inc., Fullerton, CA, makes it a point to say that seaweed has broader applications. "Besides use in nutritional products," he said, "sea kelp usage is growing tremendously in skin care and cosmetic applications."

Research Making Waves

Since marine nutraceuticals have gained more recognition in the marketplace, the scientific community has decided to step up and provide physiological proof of how and why they work. "It is this scientific proof of their benefit to the body that is allowing them to be instantly accepted for inclusion into to many new brands coming to market," said Nutraceutical International's Ms. Vickery.

Speaking of research, in September, Unigen Pharmaceuticals, Lacey, WA, formed a major scientific collaboration with the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) to initiate a project to collect marine organisms from the Atlantic Ocean. The point of the partnership is to screen samples from the marine world to create therapeutic and commercial products. Unigen has a decade's worth of experience collecting plants and other organisms, but the current project will represent its first attempt to develop a marine collection.

Researchers anticipate collecting a diverse range of marine organisms, including invertebrates such as sponges, corals (non-reef builders), tunicates and echinoderms, as well as algae-all of which will provide a wealth of information that could potentially lead to discoveries of new chemical entities and novel, natural, therapeutic commercial products.

Leading the collection process is Dr. Russell Kerr, Canada Research Chair in Marine Natural Products at UPEI. After collection, Unigen will apply natural product chemistry to extract components from the collected marine organisms. Then it will fractionate the extracts using a high-throughput purification system. The obtained marine extracts and fractions will be tested internally and externally on appropriate biological, biochemical, genomic, proteomic, in vitro, in vivo and ex vivo models. The active components will be separated and identified as leads for the development of pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, cosmeceutical and functional food products. Unigen is will work closely with Dr. Kerr and UPEI to further expand this collaborative research in marine natural products over the next several years.

Marine ingredients are undergoing clinical investigation on a more frequent basis. In fact, a recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, showed that Martek Biosciences' (Columbia, MD) life'sDHA from microalgae effectively reduced the level of triglycerides in male hypertriglyceridemic patients. In this randomized, parallel, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, DHA alone was effective (without EPA) in reducing triglycerides. Hypertriglyceridemia (high triglyceride levels) in men is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome. Researchers concluded that DHA supplementation could improve cardiovascular health by lowering concentrations of triacylglycerols and small, dense LDL particles.

Apart from heart health, there has also been extensive research on DHA's role in slowing and even preventing the onset of Alzheimer's disease. To support this, Lipid Nutrition's Mr. Luchsinger referenced an April 2007 study in mice. "The researchers found that feeding mice bred to develop Alzheimer's disease a diet rich in DHA slowed the accumulation of two proteins associated with the brain-clogging plaques implicated in this disease," he said. "Previous studies have also suggested that DHA may be useful as a treatment for Alzheimer's disease, but researchers say that this study was among the first to suggest that the omega 3 fatty acid might delay or prevent development of the disease later in life."

In other news, Aroma New Zealand Ltd., Christchurch, New Zealand, is currently looking to carry out a human clinical study on its GlycOmega greenshell mussel powder. "GlycOmega Greenshell Mussel Powder is proving to be very effective for humans and animals that suffer from osteoarthritis, so we're looking for a positive clinical trial that will validate this," said Ben Winters, marketing manager.

Safely Meeting Supply and Demand

The ocean covers about 70% of the earth's surface, but that does not mean there is an endless supply of functional raw material. Unfortunately there's raft of problems all over the globe that continue to affect the market, such as inconsistent supply, pollution and over-fishing, all of which could result in the depletion of natural resources. Despite these issues, however, the industry is working hard to try and keep up with supply in order to meet consumers' increasing demand for many marine-based products.

According to Baldur Hjaltason, who is the sales manager for Lysaker, Norway-based EPAX AS in North America, Japan and China, the fish oil market in the U.S. grew 35-40% between 2005 and 2006 to reach a market value of approximately $500 million. In that vein, he says the U.S. market has been dominated by 18:12 fish oil (18% EPA and 12% DHA) .

But Mr. Hjaltason has recently noticed a strange development in the omega 3 fish oil market. "Most the processors use raw material crude fish oil from South America that contains 18% of EPA and 12% DHA," he said. "However, due to unknown reasons, the oil coming from South America so far this year has been higher in EPA and very low in DHA."

Mary Ann Siciliano, national sales manager, Arista Industries, Inc., Wilton, CT, concurred. "Although the fish oil supply is good, the issue is that the DHA is coming up very low and in lieu of this, pricing is dramatically increasing."

AHD's Ms. Frey also discussed some of the supply issues. "We have received messages from our manufacturers (in four different countries) who say supply seems to have decreased this year and that the demand could greatly outweigh availability," she said. "We have made a concerted effort to ensure the availability of several grades of fish oil to meet our customers' requirements. This shortage, however, poses a huge challenge for those providers of omega products that have not yet ordered stock."

Turning his concerns toward over-fishing, Lipid Nutrition's Mr. Luchsinger commented, "I believe over-fishing in the future could be an issue, because with all the science supporting DHA and EPA for cardiovascular and brain health, consumers will respond by purchasing more of either fish or food fortified with omega 3's from marine sources."

Companies like Aroma New Zealand are working to better sustain natural resources. To this end, the company claims its greenshell mussels are farmed and that their shark cartilage is managed under a strict quota system. "As long as the global fishery resource is managed responsibly, and strict quota plans are put in place, the marine nutraceuticals market will continue to provide multiple benefits to the end user for many years to come," said Mr. Winters.

Although consumers are starting to put marine-based products at the top of their shopping lists, they are still somewhat apprehensive about them due to widely publicized issues surrounding contaminants like PCB's and heavy metals. While the industry has taken steps to ensure better quality of marine nutraceuticals, many experts believe more work must be done.

"We reached an important milestone when the Omega-3 Voluntary Working group of CRN (Council for Responsible Nutrition) was formed," said EPAX's Mr. Hjaltason. "Until then there were no standards on the quality of fish oil, which meant many products of low and bad quality continued to be sold. The first job of the working group was to introduce the voluntary fish oil monograph, which today is the quality standard in the industry," he said. "Most recently, the Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega 3 (GOED) has taken over this work."

Mr. Hjaltason went on to say that although the industry has the voluntary fish oil monograph, it is important that USP (United State Pharmacopoeia) also adopt an official omega 3 monograph as a reference for purity and quality.

With respect to glucosamine, TSI's Mr. Kolb claims price pressures have forced many of the Chinese facilities to use non-food grade, recycled industrial grade acids in their processes. "We believe this will create heavy metal levels to increase in the ingredient, in some cases to potentially toxic levels," he said. "Glucosamine price pressures have also forced producers to use sub-par raw materials, causing them to side-step basic GMPs in their production. Overall, glucosamine chitin production from crustacean shells has been steady, with little price movements due to an expanded harvest that reaches far beyond domestic Chinese crustacean markets."

Calm Waters Ahead?

Now might be a good time for companies to get their "sea legs" in the marine nutraceuticals market, as experts predict continued growth in the months and years ahead.

Incorporating marine-based omega 3's into functional foods will be a particularly hot trend in the future. "Research indicates that by 2011, the U.S. market for foods fortified with omega 3 fatty acids will exceed $7 billion," said Martek's Cassie France-Kelly, public relations manager. This year alone saw the launch of multiple national brands enhanced with Martek's life'sDHA, including Yoplait Kids yogurt and yogurt drink, Horizon organic milk, Silk Soy Milk and Minute Maid Pomegranate Blueberry Flavored 100% Juice Blend.

But, as EPAX's Mr. Hjaltason points out, this increasing application of omega 3 fatty acids into food products may result in consumers feeling they do not need omega 3 supplements since they get enough through their diets. In that context, he said there may be more omega 3 condition-specific health products coming to the market, "where you need higher dosages than you would get through food to get clinical benefits," he said.

When asked about market predictions, AHD's Ms. Frey was very confident about the future for marine nutraceuticals. "We have an additional product close to launching, and have patents pending currently," she said. "We have also made a major investment in this target market and are confident that consumer interest will remain high, as long as the industry can identify and provide quality products that deliver as promised."

Nutraceuticals International's Ms. Vickery also believes that the market for marine nutraceuticals will continue to grow, as long as the technology and science behind these products remains solid. "There are no doubts that the sea holds many secrets to beauty, health and long life," she said. "The concentration of vitamins and minerals found in the sea make it the perfect breeding ground for a multitude of beneficial nutraceuticals whose potential we have only recently begun to explore."