Phospholipid-Rich Krill Oil Approved in EU

Photo © iStockphoto.com/ Tenedos

One of the latest examples of phospholipid innovation, an ultra-high-phospholipid krill oil extract from Rimfrost (Aalesund, Norway), has now obtained regulatory approval for the EU market. Rimfrost’s Sublime PL60 krill oil, which debuted last fall, features a phospholipid content of up to 60% and high levels of choline, astaxanthin, and omega-3 DHA and EPA.

The announcement of Sublime’s readiness for the European market came last week as Rimfrost noted the Finnish Novel Food Board had given the ingredient a favorable opinion after evaluating its research profile. The EU commission and other EU member states have been notified of the decision from Finland, allowing Sublime to now be marketed in all of the EU, explains Inge Bruheim, research director for Rimfrost.

“The product is high in astaxanthin and the EU regulatory approval allows the product to be marketed in concentrations up to 600 mg/kg,” says Bruheim. “This high natural high concentration provides our customers with an added value and is obtained because of the innovative technology applied at our New England facility.”

While many krill oil ingredients are designed primarily with DHA and EPA omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in mind, Rimfrost chose to emphasize other beneficial ingredients found in krill oil, such as choline, astaxanthin, and phospholipids, in Sublime PL60. But the extract is still rich in EPA and DHA and offers 30% more of these omega-3s than previous generations of krill products, Rimfrost says.

Additionally, Sublime PL60 is appropriate for capsules-a product type that have proven difficult for phospholipid-rich krill oil in the past.

“Krill oil is difficult to encapsulate due to the presence of phospholipids, and the industry has experienced difficulties with leaking capsules in the past,” says Henrik Traaholt, vice president of sales and marketing in Europe for Rimfrost. “We have overcome this problem and we will therefore offer the product not only in bulk, but also in capsules.”

Read more:

Resurgence in Phospholipid Innovation?

Krill Oil Ups Share of Omega-3 Market, Aker Says

First Third-Party Krill Oil Test Validates Identity and Ingredient Source

Michael Crane
Associate Editor
Nutritional Outlook Magazine
michael.crane@ubm.com