Marinova's brown seaweeed-derived fucoidan ingredient earns EU organic status

Marinova Pty Ltd (Marinova) announced in a recent press release that one of the branded ingredients from their product portfolio called Maritech organic fucoidans, had received an EU organic certification.

Maritech organic fucoidans are premium extracts produced from a marine polysaccharide found naturally in brown seaweed.¹ The ingredient is utilized in skincare formulations, medical devices, and dietary supplements. Marinova’s Maritech organic fucoidans has already received a variety of other accreditations such as, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-notified GRAS status, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP) certified, and other prior EU Novel Foods authorization.

Recently, the brown seaweed extracts company celebrated Australia’s sustainability awards program called, Banksia National Sustainability Awards. At the event, Marinova was announced as the 2025 national winner in the Healthy Planet, Healthy People category regarding their bioactive fucoidan extracts being produced sustainably and their commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.² Additionally, the company has received recognition for leadership at the Telstra Best of Business Awards, and The Australian Export Awards. Marinova received awards for their outstanding sustainability initiatives.

“Attaining EU organic certification provides additional confidence for formulators and consumers alike. Maritech® organic fucoidans tick all the boxes,”said Quality Manager Dr Michelle Mendoza. “They are natural, efficacious and supported by a sustainable and transparent supply chain that is regularly and independently audited.”

A recent study found that the ingredient had anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties. The May 2025 study, called “Neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory activity of Undaria pinnatifida fucoidan in vivo – A proteomic investigation,” was published in Marine Drugs. The researchers conducted a 10-week experiment with mice, dividing them into groups of 32 mice each, that were fed either a standard diet or a high-fat diet, with or without the addition of the high-purity fucoidan provided by Marinova.^3,4 The mice were around four weeks old at the time of the study and were “housed under controlled conditions at a temperature of 20 ± 2 °C and maintained on a standard 12:12 h light/dark cycle.”⁴ To gather data, mice were fasted overnight for 12 hours and then had blood samples collected. In these samples, plasma levels of inflammatory cytokines were evaluated with a commercial Milliplex mouse high-sensitivity T cell magnetic bead panel and ribonucleic acid (RNA) was extracted from the mice for protein extraction in proteomic assays, and further gene expression studies. Researchers imported raw DIA-MS files into Spectronaut software, additional data was plugged into the Perseus software platform, further statistical analyses were explored via GraphPad Prism software.⁴

The results showed that the mice given Undaria pinnatifida fucoidan in their diet had lower levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and plasma cytokines when compared to the group that received only the high-fat diet. A press release from the company found that a proteomic analysis also revealed that the fucoidan modified proteins involved in oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, neurotransmitter regulation, and endoplasmic reticulum stress.⁵

Study researchers concluded that, “Collectively, the findings of this study highlight the diet-dependent effects of UPF, demonstrating its ability to mitigate inflammation and modulate stress-related pathways in HFD-fed mice while exerting distinct immune-related effects in chow-fed mice. The observed changes in cytokine expression and proteomic profiles suggest UPF’s potential neuroprotective support for inflammation-related disorders and brain health, particularly under metabolic stress conditions.”⁴

Marinova’s Scientific Affairs Director and co-author of the paper, Dr. Corinna Dwan, said in the press release⁵, “These findings suggest Undaria pinnatifida fucoidan can modulate stress-response pathways in a diet-dependent manner. They also highlight the neuroprotective potential of fucoidan in brain health, especially under diet-related stress.”

References

1. Marrapodi, A. Maritech fucoidan to undergo new clinical trial to research immuno-modulating properties https://www.nutritionaloutlook.com/view/maritech-fucoidan-to-undergo-new-clinical-trial-to-research-immuno-modulating-properties (accessed Sep 4, 2025).
2. Sustainability: Acting today to protect Tomorrow https://www.marinova.com.au/sustainability/ (accessed Sep 4, 2025).
3. Colli, M. Study finds that fucoidan from brown seaweed may offer anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties https://www.nutritionaloutlook.com/view/study-finds-that-fucoidan-from-brown-seaweed-may-offer-anti-inflammatory-and-neuroprotective-properties (accessed Sep 4, 2025).
4. Yang, C.; Dwan, C.; Wimmer, B.C.; Ronci, M.; Wilson, R.; Johnson, L.; Caruso, V. Neuroprotective and Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Undaria pinnatifida Fucoidan In Vivo—A Proteomic Investigation. Mar. Drugs 2025, 23, 189. https://doi.org/10.3390/md23050189
5. Neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory activity of fucoidan from Undaria Pinnatifida: Latest News https://marinova.com.au/news/neuroprotective-and-anti-inflammatory-activity-of-fucoidan-from-undaria-pinnatifida/ (accessed May 6, 2025).