Eat Chocolate, Get Omega 3
Omega 3 supplements provide one of the "good" fatty acids nutritionists say can help prevent heart disease and arthritis, while playing an essential role in healthy brain development and growth.
While there are alternative Omega 3 oils on health-food store shelves, a new tasteless and odorless vegetarian variety from Israeli food supplement company LycoRed is designed to be used in baked goods and candies because it is able to survive heating. The company has completed successful trials of its supplement in chocolates, crackers and bread.
LycoRed, whose main business is natural nutritional supplements and colorants, launched the new algae-derived Lyc-O-Mega 10 AL late last year and it is now available worldwide.
According to Dr. Dorit Rozner, R&D manager at LycoRed, "The advantages of Omega 3 to our health are well known, but most of us are challenged to get enough in our diets, especially for children, for whom taking capsules is difficult."
Many organs in our bodies need the cholesterol-busting fat derived from Omega 3, also known as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), to maintain functioning. Since the body is not able to manufacture it, this oil must be obtained from food.
Found in walnuts and in lesser amounts in fruit and seeds like flax, Omega 3 is most plentiful in fish and algae. Unfortunately, it's the oily, pungent ones like herring, mackerel, sturgeon and anchovies that contain the most good oils.
"As adding Omega 3 directly to foods normally within our diets results in ‘fishy' tasting products, we saw an opportunity to utilize our unique microencapsulation technology," says Rozner. "The resulting product, Lyc-O-Mega 10 AL, allows the confectionery and bakery industry to create great-tasting products -- and deliver on DHA."
LycoRed's parent company is Israel-based Makhteshim Agan, the world's largest maker of generic agricultural chemicals, which in turn is now 60 percent owned by the Chinese company ChemChina.
LycoRed has production facilities in Israel, Europe and the United States, and it supplies the food, beverage and cosmetics industries worldwide.
Bring on the chocolate!
2011 Christian Nature
