Evonik high-load omega 3 powder cleared for use in European supplements market

26 Sep 2018 --- Evonik, a global partner to nutraceutical companies for advanced food ingredients and formulation development services, has received clearance to market its high-concentration omega 3 lysine powder complex AvailOm for use in the EU. AvailOm is touted as having the highest-load omega 3 powder in its class with a minimum of 45 percent EPA and DHA by weight. In addition to delivering protection against oxidation based upon three years of stability data, it is also directly compressible and can be customized to meet specific formulation requirements.

“The superior potency, bioavailability and stability of AvailOm creates a significant opportunity for nutraceutical companies to develop single and multi-ingredient consumer-friendly supplements. We look forward to supporting customers develop new formulations that are enabled by this innovative nutraceutical ingredient,” says Cornelis van den Muyzenberg, Vice-President of Food Ingredients and Strategic Projects at Evonik Health Care.

The consumer-friendly aspects of AvailOm are particularly pertinent considering that omega 3 is one of the most important product categories among nutraceutical users.

A 2018 consumer study conducted by Evonik has indicated that 33 percent of nutraceutical consumers in Western Europe used omega 3 products in the last 12 months, van den Muyzenberg tells NutritionInsight.

As part of this study, Evonik gauged consumer preferences among several thousand regular nutraceutical users in Western Europe and identified the major unmet consumer needs and desires:

• Consumers prefer easy to swallow omega 3 supplements and see a lack of such products in the market.
• The willingness to pay for a omega 3 tablet is significantly higher than for soft gels.
• Consumers have a desire to get access to combination products, such as vitamins/minerals plus omega 3 in one dosage form.
• Consumers complain about fishy burps and aftertaste of current marketed omega 3 products.

“AvailOm is an innovative ingredient that meets such consumer needs. It is a high-concentration omega 3 lysine powder complex that is compressible and can be customized to meet specific formulation requirements. A single, small tablet made from AvailOm can deliver the same omega 3 fatty acid uptake as two large fish oil softgel capsules,” van den Muyzenberg says.

Stability and storage of fish oils are challenging for the manufacturers, van den Muyzenberg notes.

“Combination products are of increased interest to nutraceutical consumers, but very challenging to formulate with fish oil,” he adds. “The high-concentration omega 3 lysine powder complex AvailOm can solve all of the above problems and allows manufacturers to develop innovative consumer friendly products in film coated tablet or capsule form.”