Olympic Seafood set for krill oil research collaboration

Norwegian firm Olympic Seafood AS has entered in to a research collaboration with two universities to use novel ‘omics’ technologies to investigate the potential health benefits of krill oil supplements.

The company, which owns the Rimfrost brand, signed an agreement with Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences and the University of Oslo to investigate new biomarkers that may signal the beneficial effects of marine nutrients like those in krill oil.

The collaboration will involve a PhD candidate focusing on the use of ‘omics’ technologies to identify new biomarkers that may help better our understanding of how non-communicable diseases can be prevented by consuming nutrients of marine origins.

"A PhD candidate will be engaged through the Oslo and Akersus University College of Applied Sciences and his/ her degree will be based on the research project," said Professor Kirsten Holven from the University of Oslo. "An intervention study will be carried out where we look at underlying mechanisms of health effects from krill oil supplements and fish.”

“The project shows how research partnerships between academic institutions and the industry can contribute to increased knowledge that is important to the society by documenting health effects of food supplements and fish."

Inge Bruheim research director at Olympic Seafood said the long-term partnership is an important part of the firm’s strategy “to build further on the documentation of positive health effects of Rimfrost Sublime Antarctic krill oil.”