Fuji Health Files Successful NDI Notification for AstaReal

Fuji Health Science (Burlington, NJ) has received a no-objections letter from FDA for a new dietary ingredient (NDI) notification the company filed for its AstaReal astaxanthin ingredient. The notification covers the ingredient at a dosage of up to 12 mg/day.

In a press statement, company president Charles DePrince said, “With this successful NDI notification, Fuji reaffirms once again its commitment to quality and safety as its number-one priority.” He also pointed out that AstaReal is the only astaxanthin ingredient to receive a no-objections GRAS letter from FDA, which the company did in 2010.

At the upcoming Natural Products Expo West trade show in Anaheim, CA, the company says it will showcase a water-soluble astaxanthin ingredient for use in beverages and food. Also on display will be a 6-mg astaxanthin softgel, designed for a 6-mg/day serving, which the company says research has shown to be the most efficacious dose.

Joe Kuncewitch, the company’s national sales manager, said that the astaxanthin market is “finally reaching maturity.”

“Up until this past year, [astaxanthin] was a specialty ingredient carried only by select customers, but astaxanthin has now gone mainstream, finding itself in mass market,” he explains. “The spark that ignited the astaxanthin explosion was Dr. Oz, introducing astaxanthin on his TV show last year. A year later, we continue to see market explosion.”