End of the line for omega-3 fatty acids? - International News on Fats, Oils and Related Materials : INFORM

End of the line for omega-3 fatty acids? - International News on Fats, Oils and Related Materials : INFORM

Have omega-3 fatty acids lost their luster as a functional ingrethent in foods?

The answer is 'yes,' according to an editorial by Julian Mellentin in the August issue of New Nutrition Business (NBB) entitled 'End of the line for omega-3?' Mellentin cites the removal by M�ller U.K. of the omega-3 component of its Vitality yogurt products as well as Unilever's withdrawal in Europe of its omega-3-supplemented drinkable and spoonable yogurts and Flora/Becel Pro.activ line as proof that omega-3 fatty acids are and will remain at best a niche ingrethent in functional foods.

'Once the darling of the functional food sector, omega-3 enrichment is no longer the irresistible business proposition that, to some, it appeared to be,' Mellentin writes. 'Beyond a small number of leading brands in each country all others will be niche, kept on as marginal brands and representing only a tiny percentage of their owner's sales and maintained as part of a range largely because competitors are also offering such products.'

Muller U.K., a division of a German dairy concern, told NBB that its research found that the 'main barriers to purchasing these products are a lack of trust that the products have any real benefit, a perception that it' s all about hype and not real science, and a skepticism that the products do not contain enough of the beneficial ingrethents to make a real difference.'

The picture is different for the omega-3 supplements market, however. A recent report by Frost & Sullivan, a Londonbased market research firm, found that the European market for omega-3 fatty acids is expected to grow by about 24% by 2014, from about $296 million in 2007 to $1.3 billion in 2014.

The regulatory framework will challenge the industry, report author Chandrasekhar Shankaar said, including hygiene regulations, health claim regulations, and the lack of Adequate Daily Intake levels for docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).

Currently, the main source (78%) of omega-3 oils in the human diet is from marine animals, the report noted, with 13% sourced from flaxseed and algae delivering only 3%. Future sources include krill, seal, and shark liver oils, Shankaar said.

In related news from the United States, ConsumerLab.com, an independent product evaluator, tested 50 omega-3 fish oil supplements, foods, or beverages (including two marketed for pets) and found that all 50 had safe levels of mercury, lead, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). All 50 contained the amounts of EPA and DHA claimed on the label without any sign of spoilage, although one time -release capsule released its fish oil too early and several supplemented beverages and food products mistakenly claimed to provide a portion of the Daily Value for omega-3 fatty acids when no such value exists.