The majority of the fish oil used for human nutrition is derived from anchovies and sardines because of the naturally high concentrations of EPA and DHA omega-3s. These are long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, or LC-PUFAs. North Atlantic fish, like herring and mackerel have lower EPA and DHA concentrations but high levels of long-chain monounsaturated fatty acids (LC-MUFAs).
Cetoleic acid is the most abundant LC-MUFA, representing between 10% to 22% of the overall LC-MUFA content, followed by gadoleic acid and gondoic acid, depending on the type of fish.
A couple of companies are now commercializing cetoleic acid-rich fish oils. Grøntvedt Biotech announced it was developing such an oil in 2022 and launched it in 2023 under the brand name CETO3.
CETO3 is produced by immediately processing fresh fish to oil in less than 30 minutes at the company’s plant in Uthaug, Norway. According to Grøntvedt, this gives the CETO3 omega-11 and omega-3 product a unique sensory quality which broadens the applications for usages from capsules to liquid formulations.
The category is also receiving assistance from the Norwegian Seafood Research Fund, which is investing US$ 5.3 million into exploring the health effects of omega 11.
Benefits
Speaking with NutraIngredients at the recent SupplySide Global show in Las Vegas, Henrik Traaholt, CCO at Grontvedt Biotech AS, explained that omega-11 differs from omega-3, “because it has the ability to unlock the body’s own potential to produce EPA and DHA.”
A 2024 study conducted with CET03 by Mike Wakeman, a researcher from University of Sunderland, found that CETO3 omega-11 stimulated the body’s own production of EPA/DHA significantly, compared to the fish oil group. The published study showed that the CETO3 EPA/DHA pro-rata efficiency is 68% better than that of the standard fish oil due to the bodies internal production of EPA/DHA, enhanced by omega-11.
“But also, we just published a study where you see that we can lower LDL cholesterol, and that’s something you don’t see with omega-3s,” he added.
It is this cholesterol reduction that the company is using to position CETO3 for the healthspan category. Grontvedt Biotech was recently named a Nutra Healthspan Innovator for the upcoming Nutra Healthspan Summit in London.
“One thing is, when lowering cholesterol, we know that if you lower your cholesterol by 3%, you minimize the cardiovascular risk with 15%—so small things have big impacts,” Traaholt said. “Also, we saw from studies that we have very strong anti-inflammatory effects […] For us, longevity is that we live longer healthier [lives].”
Educating consumers
As the science builds, the omega-11 players now have the challenge of translating this to consumers and educating them on this innovative omega fatty acid.
Traaholt said education is going to be a long job, but the work has already started.
“I think we have something unique coming out in the markets, compared to the omega-3s,” he said. “Everybody knows of omega-3s.”
During a recent meeting, the head of R&D at a “top U.S. brand” told Traaholt, “Congratulations, the first innovation in the omega space [in many years]. So, we are kind of proud of that, of course, but it’s a long way to go.”
