Aenova navigates vegan omega 3 demand with chewable softgels

24 Sep 2021 --- Germany-based Aenova is expanding its vegan soft capsule portfolio by adding chewable omega 3 variants. They are based on its existing Aenova VegaGels and are filled with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) fatty acids from microalgae.

The new composition targets a variety of consumer needs, for example those following a vegetarian or vegan diet or those who prefer products that do not involve animal testing. The chewables also address kosher or halal food requirements.  

To make supplements more attractive for children, the chewables arrive in tutti-frutti, wild berry and citrus flavors, produced as pink, red and yellow chewies, respectively.

Aenova is now producing the new vegan softgel capsules in cooperation with AlaskOmega AG, the European subsidiary of Wiley Companies, and Algarithm, a leading Canadian company for algae DHA oils.

“We are very pleased about this successful cooperation,” Michael Ammann, head of the softgel capsules business unit at Aenova. 

The new chewables are based on Aenova’s existing VegaGels portfolio, filled with DHA fatty acids from microalgae.“It shows once again that Aenova can adapt quickly and provide flexible solutions to customer requirements and market trends,” Ammann details. 

A wave of vegan omega 3
Products with plant-based claims are rapidly growing, as Innova Market Insights observed a 26% average annual growth between 2016 and 2020. In top positionings of supplements and sports nutrition launches tracked with a plant-based claim, vegan claims jumped from 37% to 47% in the same four-year period.

Meanwhile, demand for vegan omega 3 chewables is growing, as evidenced by a slew of industry innovations in this sector.

France-based Polaris offers Omegavie DHA 800 algae Qualitysilver, an oil derived from vegan omega 3 sources such as the Schizochytrium sp. strain of microalgae. DSM also provides high-quality algae-based DHA oil for maternal and early life nutrition solutions. 

In a video interview, Benexia CEO Sandra Gillot shed light on how cold-pressed chia oil can offer a source for vegan omega 3 alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).

Aenova maintains its new softgel capsules comply with the regulations for the US, European and Chinese markets. The new chewable vegan softgel capsules will be presented at the Vitafoods Europe trade show, hosted in Geneva, Switzerland from October 5 to 7, 2021, at booth F60.

Edited by Anni Schleicher