Novel process allows 'highest quality' omega-3 concentrations

Novel technology allows KD-Pharma, the fully-owned subsidiary of health care products company Bioseutica, to produce what it claims to be the market’s safest and highest quality omega-3 concentrations.

Specific combinations of omega-3 EPA/DHA at concentrations of up to 99 percent are produced by the process, known as kd pür, which was designed, developed and patented the company.

KD-Pharma’s CEO, Rudi Krumbholz told NutraIngredientsUSA.com: “Kd-pür produces a safer and more effective product because it reduces to a minimum the production of trans fatty acids and the oxidation of PUFAs (polyunsaturated fatty acids), especially in the peroxide form, which are known to cause cancer.

Highly purified

This is achieved by advanced super critical fluid technology conducted under mild temperatures below 45 Celsius and under CO2 atmospheric conditions to extract, refine and concentrate highly purified omega-3s from fish oil.

The process is also said to remove other undesired components from omega-3s such as omega-6, saturated fats, cholesterol and contaminants. “This means that every dose of kd-pur omega-3 products has less interference from undesired components, which would translate into better metabolic and therapeutic activity, and a better safety profile,” added Krumbholz.

Unlike other manufacturing processes, such as short way distillation and liquid chromatography, kd-pür process uses no organic solvents or isomers.

Its use of high separation selectivity allows the production of highly concentrated EPA and or DHA at concentrations of up 99 percent.

Most competitors can produce concentrations up to 70 percent,” said Krumbholz. “And the handful of companies able to produce concentrations of EPA and DHA over 70 percent utilize more standards technologies which are not as environmentally friendly (as kd-pür) and as efficient in eliminating unwanted components and contaminants,” he added.

Varying the ratio of EPA and DHA allows the company to target specific health conditions including cardiovascular, brain function and the anti-inflammatory category.

A composition richer in EPA, for instance, is known to have a greater activity on cardiovascular health or depression while a composition with a greater amount of DHA would be more beneficial in supporting eye health or treating dementia,” said Krumbholz.

More expensive

Bioseutica CEO, Stefano Ferrari told NutraIngredientsUSA.com: “While higher concentration omega-3s may seem to be more expensive than omega-3 products with lower (mostly 30 percent) concentration found at most retail stores, the reality is that the less expensive Omega-3 supplements have a greater cost on health.”

In a 1gm softgel a 90 percent formulation (such as the company’s Recoup90), would contain 900mg of Omega 3 and 100 mg of other components while a 30 percent formulation would contain 300mg of Omega-3 and 700mg of other nonessential components, he said.

Consequently, to take the same amount of Omega-3 as in a 90 percent product like Recoup90, one would have to take three 30 percent capsules as opposed to one 90 percent capsule. With the 30 percent concentration you are ingesting an additional 700 mg of non essential and perhaps harmful component.”