Krill oil market to hot up with Enzymotec entry
head to head with market leader Neptune Krill Oil and planning
clinical research into the health benefits of its ingredient.
Krill oil, rich in omega-3, phospholipids and antioxidants, is derived from the planktonic family of crustacean. Ariel Katz, CEO, acknowledged that the krill oil market is presently dominated by Neptune Krill Oil (NKO) from Canadian company Neptune Technologies and Bioressources. But he said: "I am glad to say that our control over raw materials, unique bio-processing technologies and know-how enabled us to outperform current line of products in all matters concerning composition, service, and cost effectiveness." VP business development Elzphan Hotam was unable to provide NutraIngredients.com with composition and cost data since the company's policy is to disclose this only to accounts. The company is likely to brand its krill oil offering in the future, he said. Other branded products in Enzymotec's portfolio include heart health ingredient CardiaBeat, Sharp-PS, and Sharp-PS Gold for cognitive function. The vast majority of the science relating to krill oil to date has been conducted using NKO. Most recently Neptune has seen results billed as "breakthrough" on the use of NKO to control LDL cholesterol levels. Following a positive study on the ingredient's benefits for adult ADHD it said last month that a large study is to be initiated to investigate its cognitive benefits more thoroughly. Since Enzymotec's offering is claimed to have a different composition, the findings would not necessarily be transferable. In December, Enzymotec announced that it has a US$3.5m R&D budget for 2007 – a significantly higher investment than in previous years which is mostly earmarked for funding clinical trials. It also expanded its phospholipids plant three times last year. While he was unable to confirm whether studies using the krill oil have yet been initiated, Hotam said: "Krill oil is one of our highest priorities."
