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Martek Biosciences Corporation

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Why life'sDHA™

Customers respond to high quality ingredients, such as life'sDHA™.

  • life'sDHA™, produced from algae, is a vegetarian source of DHA compatible with many foods or beverages. Algae is the only vegetarian source that provides a meaningful amount of DHA. Other vegetarian sources of omega-3s, such as flax seeds, walnuts and certain vegetable oils, contain ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), not DHA. As a vegetarian source of DHA, life'sDHA™ is suitable for use in traditionally vegetarian foods and beverages, such as breads, cereals, yogurts, cheeses, milks and juices. In addition, life'sDHA™ is both Kosher and Halal.
  • DHA is the only omega-3 shown to provide brain, eye and heart health benefits. EPA, found in fish oil, has been shown to support cardiovascular health but has not been proven to play a role in brain or eye health. ALA, found in flaxseed oil, has no known independent benefits on brain or eye health and there are insufficient data to support its role in cardiovascular health.
  • life'sDHA™ is produced in a controlled environment, eliminating the risk of oceanic contamination. From start to finish, life'sDHA™ is produced in an FDA-inspected facility, under current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) regulations with controls in place to ensure the highest quality product. Because the algae is grown outside of the ocean, there is no risk of ocean-borne contaminants such as PCBs and dioxins.
  • In March of 2004, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) completed a favorable review of the Company's generally recognized as safe (GRAS) notification regarding the use of its DHA oil as an ingredient in foods and beverages.
  • life'sDHA™ also has Novel Foods approval for use in supplements and a variety of foods in Europe as well as Australia/New Zealand.
  • life'sDHA™ is a high quality product with excellent sensory characteristics and shelf life. Made from a patented vegetarian source and production process, life'sDHA™ will not adversely affect your product’s sensory characteristics. In addition, life'sDHA™ is highly concentrated so less is needed. Foods and beverages fortified with life'sDHA™, including cereal bars, yogurts, bread, cheese and soymilk, have demonstrated excellent shelf life and taste performance.
  • life'sDHA™ adds tremendous marketing value. Millions of new parents have purchased infant formula with life'sDHA™, the only DHA currently used in U.S. infant formulas. DHA is well-known among new parents as an important brain nutrient, but beyond infant formula, dietary sources of DHA for their children are limited. Parents are looking for innovative ways to introduce DHA into their children’s diets.

And, while there is a ready made market of parents who know DHA is important for their children’s brain and eye development, there is also a growing number of adults who are looking for ways to keep their aging brains healthy. In 2000, there were more than 56 million Americans over the age of 55. And, according to the results of a national survey, memory loss (from Alzheimer’s or dementia) was the leading health fear among people aged 55 and older. Food fortified with DHA, an important brain fat, is an effective way for adults to get the DHA that may currently be lacking in their diets.