Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Flax-Based Omega-3 ALA Expects To Be Next Superfood

As consumers become aware of the health benefits of Omega-3, the demand for flax-based Omega-3 ALA is also on the rise. This is evident in fast growing demand for products with Omega-3 ALA. Over two-thirds of consumers report they are aware of Omega-3 fatty acids, and over a third routinely consume products with Omega-3. The net result is an average annual increase in the Omega-3 product market of over 30 percent since 2000.

Frost & Sullivan recently completed a whitepaper entitled Flax-based Omega-3 Alpha Linolenic Acid: The Shape of Things to Come that highlights the key benefits of flax-based Omega-3 ALA valued by consumers. This white paper also highlights flaxseed's market sustainability in terms of exceeding the demands of current and potential consumers. The synergistic consumer benefits of Omega-3 ALA and flax oil are identified, and implications to consumers are explored.

"Increased media attention regarding obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and rising healthcare costs has had a permanent influence on consumer awareness of their own habits," notes Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Christopher Shanahan. "Consumers increasingly look to functional foods, especially Omega-3 ALA, as a way to offset the odds of paying for higher medical care and pharmaceuticals in the future."

If you are interested in receiving a copy of Flax-based Omega-3 Alpha Linolenic Acid: The Shape of Things to Come, please send an e-mail to Johanna Haynes, Corporate Communications, at johanna.haynes@frost.com with the following information: your full name, company name, title, company telephone number, company e-mail address, city, state, and country. We will send you the information via e-mail upon receipt of the above information.

There are still many unmet needs with respect to providing an optimal balance of essential fatty acids. This includes the availability of products that offer convenience and flexibility, such as a single product outside of a dietary supplement.

Consumers also want products that taste good, can be easily integrated into foods that are already a regular part of their diet, and are cost-effective. Flax oil with Omega-3 ALA satisfies all of these needs.

"A lot of people do not understand the benefits of flax-based Omega-3 ALA compared to the other Omega-3 sources," explains Shanahan. "However, because of the increase in consumer knowledge of Omega-3 and its health benefits, there is no reason why Omega-3 ALA cannot be as valuable as Omega-3 EPA and DHA in the food and food ingredient industries."

Food companies increasingly understand the need to integrate Omega-3 fatty acids into their product offerings to meet the needs of customers who are aware of the health benefits. Flax-based Omega-3 ALA expects to be the key ingredient set to effectively meet these unmet consumer needs because of its multiple and substantiated health benefits, its convenience, and its favorable flavor.

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, partners with clients to accelerate their growth. The company's TEAM Research, Growth Consulting, and Growth Team Membership™ empower clients to create a growth-focused culture that generates, evaluates, and implements effective growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan employs over 45 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses, and the investment community from more than 30 offices on six continents.

For more information about Frost & Sullivan's Growth Partnership Services, visit http://www.frost.com.

Gujarat cows take on H1N1, HIV

Gujarat cows take on H1N1, HIV

Amul Launches Oral Spray To Strengthen Immune System

Anand: It will now be cow versus swine. As the world grapples with H1N1, cows in Anand, the countrys milk capital, will provide the all-important ingredient to tackle the menace.
After giving the country utterly , butterly, delicious milk products for almost five decades, Amul is ready to take on deadly viruses as it joins hands with a Mumbaibased company to collect first milk which provides immunity to the new-born calf to come out with an oral spray that increases the humans immune system against viruses, including HIV and H1N1.

The milk is being collected from Amuls milk cooperatives and the product, Receptor, will be marketed by the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) which owns the Amul brand.

The first milk from the mothers breast, called colostrum, helps the offspring build its immune system . We first removed fat by nano filtration from the colostrum collected from cows. The isolated particles , called nano-peptides , were named Radha-108 . It has been patented in India and the US. If sprayed in the mouth, these nanopeptides reach the heart from where it is pumped around the body, says Dr Pawan Saharan, chairman of Biomix Network Limited , who got a soft loan of Rs 12 crore from the department of science and technology to conduct the research.

This is a paradigm shift in research as it aims at strengthening the body against the virus. These nano-peptides block pores (receptors ) on the cell surface that are gateway to viruses and also heighten the immune system in case of a viral attack, says Dr Saharan.

Clinical trials have been conducted in the US, Nigeria and India . HIV patients have shown drastic reduction in viral load and those with influenza have turned asymptomatic, he adds.
While Biomix has applied to the Drugs Controller General of India, Receptor is being sold as a natural food supplement at eight counters at Mumbais domestic and international airports.
This is Amuls first foray into this field. Amul has provided land for research and production, says GCMMF chairman BM Vyas. The plant has come up on Amul Dairy premises in Khatraj near Ahmedabad . About 1,200 members of Amuls village cooperatives source colostrum from cows.