Valensa International (Eustis, FL USA) have announced that it has reached an agreement with Algal Scientific Corporation (Plymouth, MI USA) to commercialize Algal’s PureAlgal branded ingredients whole dried microalgae (Euglena gracilis) and purified beta-1,3-glucan in the human health and nutrition markets.
According to Dr John Minatelli, Senior Vice President of Business Development at Valensa, this partnering with Algal Scientific will allow for the development of exciting new science and unique products moving into the future.
“Algal Scientific has done a great job in developing a substantial body of science with its Euglena gracilis material in the animal health field. Based on this and our own initial clinical work with the material, we are very excited about the opportunity for developing formulated products under the Immunum product line to offer a range of immune health products,” he said.
Valensa is ready to offer these algae based ingredients to its customers in various channels like Natural & Health food stores as unique, well differentiated algae ingredients and also as part of its Immunum formulations. These products have a strategic fit into Valensa and further reiterates its leadership status in the microalgae business with existing products like Zanthin Natural Astaxanthin Complex (extracted from Haematococcus pluvialis grown in Chile), Parry Organic Spirulina & Organic Chlorella.
PureAlgal Euglena gracilis is a golden yellow powder produced from US-grown, non-GMO Euglena gracilis that is free of allergens and contains about 50% beta-1, 3-glucan along with numerous micronutrients, minerals, and vitamins. Algal Scientific also produces PureAlgal Beta-Glucan 95% through a water-based, non-solvent, and low temperature extraction process to create the highest purity beta-1, 3-glucan available on the market today.
Valensa has conducted in vitro pilot studies with both ingredients and plans to develop a full-scale, gold-standard clinical trial in early 2017. Valensa will use the Algal Scientific ingredients in a series of formulated dietary supplement products, including as a component in its ‘greens’ product lines, such as those containing Parry Organic Spirulina and Zanthin Natural Astaxanthin, to offer immune health support.
“As people are now beginning to understand the importance of immune health support, we are actively developing next-generation solutions for the market, helping educate the industry and expecting to see the market expand dramatically,” he added.