Martek's life'sDHA Featured in New Nutrioli DHA Cooking Oil from Ragasa

This is the first product launch from Ragasa to feature Martek's life'sDHA, and the first Mexican cooking oil to feature DHA for brain health.

22 Sep 2009 --- DHA omega-3 innovator and maker of the life'sDHA brand, Martek Biosciences Corporation has announced that life'sDHA is featured in the new Nutrioli DHA cooking oil, Mexico's premium and leading consumer cooking oil brand from Ragasa Industries. This is the first product launch from Ragasa to feature Martek's life'sDHA, and the first Mexican cooking oil to feature DHA for brain health. The life'sDHA logo will be prominently displayed on all Nutrioli DHA packaging and in all marketing efforts, which will include broadcast, print and web advertising.

"We are pleased to partner with Ragasa, a company committed to consumer health and wellness, to develop nutritious cooking oils," said David Abramson, president of Martek Biosciences. "The average Mexican consumer does not get nearly enough DHA, a nutrient important to brain health throughout the lifecycle. Products like Nutrioli DHA offer consumers convenient ways to get meaningful amounts of DHA into their daily diets."

"In order to create Nutrioli DHA, we wanted the best DHA. When we found Martek's life'sDHA, a trusted, vegetarian and sustainable source of DHA, we knew that we had to work with Martek," said Alejandro Garcia, Ragasa's partner general manager. "It is very satisfying for Ragasa to partner with Martek in such a health-enhancing innovation for Mexican consumers since it offers a new way to get this important nutrient for the brain."

DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) omega-3 is a long-chain omega-3 fatty acid that serves as a primary building block for the brain and the eyes and supports brain, eye and cardiovascular health throughout life. There is a large and growing body of scientific evidence demonstrating that people of all ages, from infants to aging adults, benefit from an adequate supply of DHA omega-3 in the diet. Scientific reviews highlight the importance of DHA omega-3 in proper brain and eye development and function, and clinical studies are underway to evaluate the role of DHA in decreasing the prevalence of certain neurological disorders. Yet despite its importance, Mexicans have among the lowest dietary intakes of DHA omega-3 in the world.

Fish are often thought to be the only source of DHA omega-3. However, life'sDHA offers a trusted and vegetarian algal form of DHA that contains no oceanic pollutants and toxins. Fish are sources of DHA because of the DHA-rich microalgae in their food chain; life'sDHA is derived from microalgae and produced in an FDA-inspected facility from start to finish using a sustainable source that does not deplete ocean resources. life'sDHA is found in numerous foods, beverages and supplements for people of all ages. It is also the only source of DHA used in U.S. infant formula and is available in more than 95 percent of the formulas on the U.S. market.

Ragasa is a leading Mexican agribusiness company, leader in soybean processing. Founded in 1917, Ragasa provides industrial ingredients and oils for the food industry, as well as a number of finished oil products for consumers, including Nutrioli DHA and Nutrioli soybean oil, as well as Sabrosano, Oli and Ave vegetable oils. Nutrioli is Mexico's number 1 consumer cooking oil brand sold in supermarkets.