The firm said the ingredient - which comes under the name Omevital Gold - contains 18 per cent EPA and 12 per cent DHA. The global product line manager Petra Muller told NutraIngredients the company is already working on boosting the levels to reach around 50 per cent. The market is already burgeoning for omega-3 fatty acids, which are consumed by 50-80 million Europeans to maintain heart health, brain health and overall wellness. According to the latest Frost and Sullivan figures, the European omega-3 market was worth around €160m (£108m) in 2004 - and is expected to grow at around 8 per cent a year until 2010. Food companies have been looking to add omega-3 benefits to their products. Already, Premier Foods has brought out a line of baked beans filling this category, and Dairy Crest is due to launch a second enhanced spread. Muller said that despite these numbers there is still room for high-end products. "There are certainly a lot of omega -3 sales but there are probably only two or three which offer high quality." This could be ready for the beginning of next year in both oils and powder forms, Muller said. She added that the current boom in omega-3 will continue, with future growth expected from mainstream food and beverages. Muller said: "As more popular brands carry products with omega-3s, consumer awareness will continue to escalate. "Consumers recognize that they don't eat enough omega-3s in their daily diets to obtain the health benefits they are learning about in the media and from health professionals." Omevital was showcased at Food Ingredients Europe this week. The acid is produced by Napro Pharma, a firm acquired by Cognis last year, which has been developing new solutions to add fatty acids into foods. Cognis is making further headway into the realm of omega-3 after appointing pioneering fatty acid expert Jorn Dyerberg as medical and scientific adviser.
