This week’s headlines included GOED launching a online database of omega-3 companies, Magtein achieving UK novel food approval, and a new study linking a specific gut bacterial species to improved muscle strength.
GOED to launch online database of omega-3 companies
The Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3s (GOED) is launching an online database to help industry players identify and locate companies operating across the omega-3 supply chain, covering fish, krill, algae and GM seed oils. The first release focuses on crude oil suppliers and includes regions served, certifications, production volume and EPA/DHA concentrations.
Announced at the GOED Exchange 2026 in Singapore, the database currently includes data from 248 suppliers across 54 countries gathered through interviews and AI‑assisted research. A second phase later this year will add refined oil and concentrate producers, along with detailed information on omega‑3 concentrations and formats.
The 2023 fish oil shortage inspired the project, prompting companies to reassess supply‑chain visibility during disruptions.
“The creation of the database was in part due to the 2023 fish oil supply shortage. That prompted a lot of soul-searching and reflection within the industry,” Chris Gearheart, GOED’s director of sustainability & analytics, told NutraIngredients. “I think a lot of companies were asking themselves, who do they really know when circumstances like this happen. Even if the database was created in response to a specific crisis, it still raises the question of ‘should I know more than I do?’”
Magtein approved as a novel food in the UK
Magtein, a branded form of magnesium L-threonate, has been approved as a novel food in the UK by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and has secured a five-year data protection period.
The ingredient, exclusively distributed by ThreoTech LLC in Europe, has been granted approval in England, Scotland and Wales after original applications were submitted to UK regulators in 2021.
Magtein was originally developed in 2010 to increase magnesium levels in the brain and is now used in multiple products globally. It already holds approvals in several markets, including EU novel food status (2024) and FDA GRAS status in the US (since 2012), as well as acceptance in countries like Canada, Japan and India.
“UK authorization and associated data protection is an exciting achievement not just for Magtein but for the broader evolution of magnesium,” Rory Lipsky, executive vice president at Magtein, told NutraIngredients.
“As consumers become more focused on mental well-being, cognitive performance and sleep, there is a growing opportunity to bring more targeted, science-backed solutions to market.”
“UK authorization is a major step forward for Magtein’s global commercial expansion,” Lipsky added. “It allows local UK brands to immediately move from concept to launch and join in the success already seen with Magtein in the European Union.”
Gut microbe linked to improved muscle strength
Data published in Gut suggested that Roseburia inulinivorans is associated with improved human muscle strength, notably an increased abundance in younger adults with higher grip strength and VO2max.
The bacterial species was also positively associated with leg press and bench press strength.
In older adults, detectable levels of R. inulinivorans in stool samples were associated with a 29% higher handgrip strength compared to those without the bug. This was observed without an accompanying increase in peak oxygen uptake, indicating better fitness.
Moreover, data from mice studies found that supplementation with R. inulinivorans led to increases in muscle strength and fiber size.
“Collectively, our findings provide robust evidence supporting a gut-muscle axis in which R. inulinivorans positively modulates muscle metabolism and muscle strength,” wrote scientists from the University of Almería and the University of Granada in Spain and Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands.
Commenting independently on the new study, Dr. Orla O’Sullivan, research fellow at the Teagasc Food Research Centre, told NutraIngredients: “The study is a significant advancement in the field of athlete gut microbiome research in that it associates mechanism to improved athletic function. As the authors point out more longitudinal studies are essential to determine if this is cause or consequence and also dose response studies to determine to level of R. inulinivorans needed.”
