Powerful Omega-3 Powders

The vast majority of scientific studies continue to demonstrate that people of all ages benefit from regular dietary intake of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid that some studies indicate may support brain and eye development and function. As more health benefits related to omega-3s surface, product designers increasingly seek to fortify a wider range of foods and beverages with omega-3 ingredients like DHA. To meet this demand, Martek Biosciences has developed two new microencapsulated powder forms of its DHA oils to fortify foods and beverages that require dry mixing and other applications.

Martek’s DHA oils are marketed under the name life’sDHA™. The powder is available in two concentrations—10% DHA and 17% DHA—and delivers benefits related to both form and function. “Many companies are not equipped to handle oils,” says Ruben Abril, Ph.D., director of ingredient commercialization. “Therefore, it gives you an alternative. Also, by microencapsulating, you protect the DHA from oxidizing, and these powders can be used in applications where oils cannot.”

The ingredients have generally shown good stability. “In most of the cases, time is more relevant than temperature,” says Abril, suggesting that the shorter the thermal exposure, the better the DHA’s viability. He notes that the company has tested the DHA ingredients in baked, pasteurized (batch, HTST and UHT), retort confectionary and other applications with very good results.

Abril suggests that manufacturers add the ingredient as close to the end of the process as possible, try to keep exposure to high temperatures at a minimum, and premix with other dry ingredients in the formula before adding to the rest of the batch to achieve good distribution. “Keeping the bulk ingredient in the original container under refrigeration before use is recommended,” he notes. The powder is stable in unopened containers for up to three months—although he suggests that longer storage times are possible, perhaps up to six months, without a loss in quality.

Martek’s DHA powders work well in baked goods and dry-mix applications, as well as in some non-baked nutritional bars and beverages with pH 4.0 or higher. Although the company recommends 32 mg of DHA per serving as a starting point, Abril notes that he has seen fortification levels climbing as high as 150 mg per serving. Although FDA has not set recommended daily intake levels for omega-3s, such levels of fortification help consumers get closer to generally recommended daily levels of DHA—which range from around 160 to 220 mg per day for healthy adults, and up to 300 mg per day for pregnant and lactating women—in one serving. At 32 mg DHA per serving, a manufacturer can make an “Excellent source of DHA” nutrient content label claim. FDA’s qualified health claim for heart health requires that a product contain both DHA and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) to use the claim, although it does not set a minimum amount. The powder ingredient typically contains about 0.7% to 1.7% EPA.

Other plant sources of omega-3s, such as flaxseed, walnuts and some vegetable oils, contain omega-3s, but not the longer-chain DHA. Made from microalgae—the only vegetarian DHA source—under tightly controlled manufacturing conditions, Martek’s life’sDHA is also free of oceanic contaminants that might exist in some fish or fish oils.

Martek Biosciences Corporation 
6480 Dobbin Road 
Columbia, MD 21045 
Phone: 410/740-0081 or 800/662-6339 
Fax: 410/740-2985 
E-mail: [email protected] 
Website: www.martek.com