FSA News Item, 10 July 2007
A company has asked the Agency's expert committee on novel foods, the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes, to approve its algal ingredient as a novel food ingredient under the 'substantial equivalence' process.
Algatechnologies (1998) Ltd wants to use an algal extract from Haematococcus pluvialis algal meal, which was given approval for marketing by the company Valensa (US Nutra) three years ago. At that time, Algatechnologies was the supplier of H. pluvialis meal as a raw material to Valensa.
Now Algatechnologies wants to market their extract on the grounds that it is the same starting material and uses the same extraction process so it is 'substantially equivalent' to the earlier approved ingredient.
Astaxanthin is a carotenoid which is found in H. pluvialis. This microalgae is part of the diet of fish or crustaceans (such as salmon and shrimps) and is responsible for the pink coloration in their flesh, through the ingestion of astaxanthin.
The company wants to market the algal extract as an ingredient to food supplement manufacturers to be used in capsules and tablets.
Any comments on this application should be sent to the ACNFP secretariat by 30 July 2007.