Expected to be available for retail sale \u201cin the first half of 2014\u201d
\naccording to David Hart Vice President of Marketing at Qualitas Health,
\nLtd., manufacturer of Almega PL\u2122, this microalgal-derived omega-3 fatty
\nacid is a pure form of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) without either of two
\nother omega-3 fatty acids important in human health present: alpha-linolenic
\n(ALA) or docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Flaxseed and chia seed are abundant
\nsources of ALA. EPA and DHA are most abundant in certain fish, krill or
\nalgal oils.<\/p>\n
Currently Almega PL\u2122 is available as a bulk ingredient to the dietary
\nsupplement industry.<\/p>\n
Almega PL\u2122 comes from the micro-algae Nannochloropsis oculata. A study
\nconducted by Qualitas Health and published in the journal Lipids in Health
\nand Disease, concluded that Almega PLTM is a good source of EPA in humans (1).
\nDr. Isaac Berzin, founder and CTO of Qualitas Health, observed that
\nAlmega PLTM is an alternative to fish and krill for vegetarians.
\nThe VRG asked the Vice President of Marketing at Qualitas Health the
\nfollowing questions about Almega PL\u2122 in March 2014. This is excerpted
\nfrom that exchange:<\/p>\n
Q:<\/strong> How is your product different from other algal-derived omega-3s in
\nterms of the relative amounts of DHA and EPA?
\nA:<\/strong> Almega PL\u2122 contains only EPA\u2026 The most common algal omega-3 on the
\nmarket contains only DHA in a triglyceride form.
\nQ:<\/strong> Do you have a comparison table of other algal omega-3s showing how
\ntheir DHA:EPA ratios compare to yours? If not, can you make a
\nqualitative comparison?<\/p>\nA:<\/strong> There are not too many vegetarian omega-3s on the market. Almega PL\u2122
\ncontains EPA; Life\u2019s DHA\u2122 (from DSM\/Martek) contains only DHA; and there
\nis a new product from DSM containing both EPA and DHA, in general a 1:2
\nratio, also in triglyceride form. There are a handful of other companies
\nlooking to manufacture and market algal omega-3s, but to the best of our
\nknowledge, these are not at commercial scale.<\/p>\nQ:<\/strong> On your website it states that “Algae are fed carbon in order to
\ngrow.” Is the carbon derived from cane sugar or corn?
\nA:<\/strong> Almega PL\u2122 is grown in open ponds in the desert of West Texas. The
\nmain energy input is sunlight and the carbon source for Almega PL\u2122 is
\n[carbon dioxide] CO2. This CO2, a greenhouse gas, otherwise would be
\nreleased into the atmosphere. Instead, the algae perform photosynthesis
\nand turn the CO2 into oxygen. Other processes, like those used to
\nmanufacture algal DHA, use sugar as the carbon source, and external
\nenergy to maintain temperatures.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\nQualitas Health also notes on its website:<\/p>\n
Qualitas Health\u2019s omega-3 supplements are extracted from a natural (not
\ngenetically modified) strain of microalgae\u2026Algae omega-3 oil does not in
\nany way deplete marine animal populations or threaten the delicate
\neco-balance in our oceans. Our farm-grown algae grow in ponds on
\nnon-arable lands, using local aquifer salt water only\u2026The major energy
\nrequired to grow our algae is naturally available sunlight\u2026Harvesting of
\nthe algae is performed in a low-energy process without the use of toxic
\nchemicals, and the output harvest water is recycled back into the farm
\nactivities\u2026Our production process does not generate any harmful waste
\nproducts, and co-products are used in animal feed and biofuels
\nproduction for minimum waste.<\/p><\/blockquote>\nReaders interested in finding out more about upcoming retail
\navailability of omega-3 products containing Almega PL\u2122 can visit
\nwww.almegapl.com<\/a>.
\nThose interested in learning more about DSM\u2019s vegetarian algal omega-3
\nproducts may visit:
\nhttp:\/\/www.dsm.com\/markets\/foodandbeverages\/en_US\/products\/nutritional-lipids\/life-dha.html<\/a>
\nhttp:\/\/www.dsm.com\/markets\/foodandbeverages\/en_US\/products\/nutritional-lipids\/life-omega.html<\/a><\/p>\n1. Kagan ML, West AL, Zante C, Calder PC. Acute appearance of fatty
\nacids in human plasma–a comparative study between polar-lipid rich oil from the microalgae
\nNannochloropsis oculata and krill oil in healthy young males.
\nLipids Health Dis. 2013 Jul 15;12:102. . doi: 10.1186\/1476-511X-12-102.
\n
\nThe contents of this article, our website, and our other publications,
\nincluding The Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal
\nmedical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified
\nhealth professional. We often depend on product and ingredient
\ninformation from company employees or company statements. Information
\ndoes change and mistakes are always possible. Please use your own best
\njudgment about whether a product is suitable for you. Further research
\nor confirmation may be warranted.<\/em><\/p>\nFor additional ingredient information, visit
\nhttp:\/\/www.vrg.org\/ingredients\/index.php<\/a><\/p>\n\nResearched by Jeanne Yacoubou, MS
\nVRG Research Director<\/p>\n\nThere are many ways to stay connected to The Vegetarian Resource Group!<\/strong><\/p>\nClick here<\/a> to get our blog delivered right to your inbox.
\nFor updates on all kinds of vegetarian- and vegan-related topics subscribe to our free enewsletter<\/a>.
\nTo support The Vegetarian Resource Group research, donate at
\ngivedirect.org\/give<\/a>.
\nTo join The Vegetarian Resource Group and receive Vegetarian Journal, go
\nto vrg.org\/member\/2013sv.php<\/a>. <\/div>\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Expected to be available for retail sale \u201cin the first half of 2014\u201d according to David Hart Vice President of Marketing at Qualitas Health, Ltd., manufacturer of Almega PL\u2122, this microalgal-derived omega-3 fatty acid is a pure form of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) without either of two other omega-3 fatty acids important in human health present: […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5402","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5402"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5402\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5425,"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5402\/revisions\/5425"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}