Omega-3's New Vegetarian Source: Yeast

Due to increasing popularity of omega-3s, innovations are churning out to meet the special needs of every consumer. In the spirit of those innovations, DuPont (Wilmington, DE) recently announced the launch of New Harvest, a yeast source of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) that the company says is the market’s first fish-free, vegetarian EPA product.

While consumers are becoming increasingly familiar with vegetarian sources of docosahexaenoic (DHA) omega-3, a vegetarian source of EPA omega-3 further closes the gap towards a vegetarian-friendly omega-3 market.

New Harvest’s primary selling points are “heart health” and “emotional well-being benefits” from a fish-free EPA source.

“Whether you’re a vegetarian or not, a large population is looking for a non-fish alternative, right now,” New Harvest marketing manager Kathryn Lee told Nutritional Outlook. “There’s a lot of science to back the benefits of omega-3s and now, with New Harvest, consumers can get the direct benefits of EPA omega-3 from a non-fish source.”

Lee says New Harvest’s fermentation process is much like the process involved with beer. The yeast feeds on sugar to produce EPA oil, and that EPA-rich oil is then separated from the yeast and encapsulated into a soft gel.

In a DuPont-funded survey of 2500 consumers ages 18 and older, 69% of those surveyed agreed that omega-3s are important to maintaining good health, but only 10% reported eating fatty fish at least twice a week.

With its market partner Futurebiotics (Hauppauge, NY), New Harvest is now available through GNC retail stores across the country.

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