The facility is utilizing the latest technology for processing fish oil, and will “far exceed the standards that have been established by GOED for testing impurities”, Michael Fisher, managing director of Golden Omega USA told NutraIngredients-USA.
“All products will be made to meet this high standard,” he added.
The $60 million processing plant in northern Chile was engineered in Norway and meets the highest quality standards, including ICHQ7 (cGMP for Active Pharma Ingredients) and ICHQ10 (Pharmaceutical Quality System) to yield an extremely pure product, said the company.
The omega-3 fish oils are available with different ratios and concentrations of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and are derived primarily from anchovy, sardines, and mackerel.
Bioambar SpA, a subsidiary of Golden Omega, is reported to have licensed technologies developed at Harvard University to control the quality and uniformity of omega-3 fish oils.
Omega-3 market
Golden Omega, formed in 2008, represents a new entrant to the booming omega-3 market, recently valued at a whopping $8 billion by Packaged Facts. The market grew 17% from 2009 and such growth is predicted to continue, according to a report by the market researchers.
The US dominates with sales of $4 billion in food and drinks, compared to $1.3 billion for dietary supplements. The majority of the food and beverage figure is accounted for by omega-3 fortified infant foods and formulas.
The new products from Golden Omega will be available before the end of the year, said the company, and full production will begin in the first quarter of 2012.
The company’s output will be over 2,000 MT of concentrates and additional volumes of 1812 oil, said Fisher.
The company is part of a family of companies headquartered in Santiago, Chile that controls the entire supply chain, from fishing vessels to processing plants, said Fisher.
“Pricing advantages are a direct result of being vertically integrated, which will significantly shorten the supply chain to the customer,” he said.
Eliminating the middle man
Fisher added that control of the supply chain was “critical”.
“We will have the ability to communicate with our customers on a different level, because we know every aspect of how their product was caught, handled, processed and delivered to them.
“We have eliminated the middle-man from the equation.
“As we have experienced in recent years, the catch and yield of the fishery can be unpredictable and immediately impact the market. By controlling the supply chain, Golden Omega will reduce this risk for their customers.”
Ownership
Golden Omega is jointly owned by Orizon, Corpesca and the Härting Group. Orizon and Corpesca are said to be the leading Chilean fishing companies and processors. Härting is a Chilean chemical company.