This new ingredient is made out of the company’s unique Haematococcus pluvialis microalga strain, Efrat Kat, VP of global sales at Algatechnologies, told NutraIngredients-USA.
While the company’s flagship product AstaPure Astaxanthin consists mainly of the extracted carotenoid, this new whole-algae variety offers a more complex nutritional profile not found in extracted astaxanthin.
“We managed to demonstrate that the AstaPure Arava contains a complex, which includes mostly polysaccharides, with highly potent effects across multiple parameters, and we also found synergistic effects between the natural astaxanthin and all the other constituents of the microalgae,” Kat told us.
She also said the ingredient contains “omega oils, fibers, proteins, vitamins, and phospholipids that are inherent in this unique strain of microalgae.”
Characterization of the ingredient’s nutritional profile was based on a study by Dr Gitte Jensen of Oregon-based NIS Labs.
“This newly discovered biological activity was shown to positively trigger immediate immune responses as well as biomarkers involved in reparative and regenerative functions,” Dr Jensen said in a statement from AlgaTech. “These positive effects were observed even in the cell mitochondria.”
Different use occasions
According to Kat, AstaPure Arava was formulated for potential customers in the dietary supplement space that take a ‘whole food approach,’ referring to companies that prefer grinding up a whole plant and putting it into a pill or tub of powder instead of extracting certain actives compounds.
“The addition of AstaPure Arava to Algatech's AstaPure portfolio will increase the variety and adds value by addressing the customers' increasing requirements for unique delivery forms and innovative products,” she said.
“As for the usage occasion, this is dependent with the specific application required by the customer,” she added.
“Some applications require oleoresin form to be used, for example for soft gels, where the AstaPure oleoresin is a great match, and some applications requires solid forms, where our powder or beadlets will be more suitable.”