New high bioavailability DHA reaches North America

13-May-2009 - Last updated on 15-May-2009 at 09:50 GMT

A concentrated DHA ingredient that claims to closely resemble DHA found in human breast milk has been launched on the North American market, following a distribution agreement between Spanish firm Brudy and New Jersey-based Xsto Solutions.

The structural similarities between Algatrium branded docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) omega-3 and the DHA found and utilized in the human body mean that it is more bioavailable and bioactive than other alternatives on the market, claim the companies.

Algatrium, which is derived from fish oil, is made using a technology that Brudy first started working on ten years ag

Xsto-Brudy_screenshot — Watch a short video with Brudy and Xsto

o. This uses natural enzymes to concentrate DHA in the second position on the triglyceride molecule, which is the structural form found in human breast milk.

Triglycerides, which are the lipid forms that omega-3 DHA and EPA are found in, are made up of glycerol molecules with three fatty acids linking to them.

DHA from fish or algae is generally found in the first or third positions on the triglyceride backbone. When it is consumed, the body converts and stores most of it in tissue in the second position.

“In the case of Algatrium, we are enzymatically doing (outside the body) what our body would normally do internally be rearranging and concentrating the DHA molecule from the one and three position on the triglyceride backbone to the number two position,” explained Brudy and Xsto.

According to the companies, this allows for a higher bioavailability and bioactivity of the ingredient compared to some other sources of DHA.

Although Brudy’s technology can be applied to omega-3 from algae or vegetal sources, the firm says that fish is currently the “optimal” source of raw material.

Antioxidant benefits

Another major property of the Algatrium ingredient is that it can boost antioxidant activity in the body, explained Brudy.

By increasing intracellular concentration of the antioxidant glutathione, the company claims its ingredient can help cells in the human body increase their antioxidant activity by 300 percent.

This antioxidant activity is supported by six in vitro trials and two human trials, said Xsto.

The Algatrium studies used cycling athletes in strenuous workouts to create metabolic stress, oxidative stress and possible DNA damage, explained Dan Murray, VP of business development at Xsto. Some of the findings included decreased DNA damage, decreased oxidative damage, and an increase in total plasma anti-oxidant capacity.

Alagtrium will be marketed for both its antioxidant benefits and the heart and cognitive benefits associated with DHA in general.

“Brudy focuses on the anti-oxidant benefit above all else (…) While Xsto agrees the product has significant anti-oxidant benefit, we feel this is not communicating the full value of the product. It is, after all, DHA and deserves to carry all the claims and benefits of DHA products. However, with its enhanced bioavailability, it can claim all the regular benefits plus the more potent anti-oxidant claim researched as well,” Murray told NutraIngredients-USA.com.

“As the Brudy process is more expensive than normal processing, we will be priced at a premium to regular sources of DHA. We will need to clearly distinguish ourselves from ‘regular’ DHA.”

To watch a short video with Brudy’s director general Francisco Gassó and Xsto’s VP of business development Dan Murray, click here.