Lipogen and Aker launch joint brain health ingredient
The new ingredient combines Aker’s Superba omega-3 krill oil and Lipogen’s PS phosphatidylserine product, which are both currently sold separately for cognitive support.
Norway’s Aker and Israel’s Lipogen said that by combining omega-3 fatty acids and PS – both key components of the brain’s cell membranes – they were able to achieve an ingredient with “better functions”.
"PS acts synergistically with omega-3 fatty acids to increase cognitive abilities, supporting memory, mood, concentration, stress control and other cognitive functions," said David Rutenberg, Lipogen CEO.
PS and krill
PS – found in fish, green leafy vegetables, soybeans and rice – regulates metabolic processes such as neuronal signalling. Studies have associated the nutrient to improvements in memory and mood, and specifically linked it to delaying symptoms of early-onset Alzheimer's.
Lipogen PS is said to boost cognitive activity in adults whose cognitive function is slowing down due to age-related decline.
Krill are tiny shrimp gaining attention as a rich source of omega-3 and antioxidants.
There are about 85 species of the deepwater marine planktonic crustacean, or deepwater shrimp, which the planet's most abundant animal biomass and which when captured and converted to oil, pack 48 times the antioxidant punch of standard fish oils, according to ORAC antioxidant scales.
Global reach
The new combination ingredient, which has yet to be formally branded, is a matrix of PS produced from krill oil. Each PS molecule contains two omega-3 fatty acids, explained Lipogen’s Rutenberg.
The product comes in liquid form and is being marketed In Europe and North America for use in softgel dietary supplements, he told NutraIngredients.com this morning.
Usage levels are likely to be similar to the standard use of PS, which varies between 50mg and 300mg per day. The price of the ingredient is also said to be “more or less in the current range of prices”.
Food applications could be a potential future avenue for the ingredient, but this would depend on customer interest, said Rutenberg.
According to Matts Johansen, executive VP at Aker, there is “great potential” for the new formula in the brain health market.
