[Bio-tech] Algae's DHA Content Ten Times Higher than Fish, NCKU Has Succeeded in Extraction

[Bio-tech] Algae's DHA Content Ten Times Higher than Fish, NCKU Has Succeeded in Extraction (Chinese Version)

NCKU Campus News & BCC (2009/10/26) DHA, namely, deep sea fish oil, is an important nutrition for mankind. However, during these years it gets more and more difficult to find non-contaminated deep sea fish. A research team of National Cheng Kung University has just discovered that one newly-found native species of algae, BL10, contains ten times more DHA than sea fish. The team has also developed the pollution-free cultivation method. The DHA extracted this way is much more economic, cleaner, and suitable for vegetarians. These findings have just been transferred to one biotech company, whose mass production and entrance to the market hopefully may occur in 2011. This is the first case in Taiwan to produce DHA with native algae.

The aquatic bio-medical group (trans. temp.) at Institute of Biotechnology, National Cheng Kung University, has spent three years collecting species of algae in certain Taiwan sea area. Among the thirty samples they have collected, the sample labeled with BL10 is found to possess rich docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA). In general, only 0.03% to 3% DHA content can be extracted from one gram of common aquatic product. However, one gram of BL10 algae powder can produce 30% DHA content. The new findings have been patented and transferred to Vedan Enterprise Corp. The Project Assistant Professor Yi-min CHEN points out, cultivated via the in-lab pure fermentation, BL10 can be the non-polluted DHA source. This is peculiarly important to the pregnant women. According to the company's assessment, the findings' mass production and entrance to the market may happen after two years, and its output value in Taiwan alone can go beyond two billion NT dollars. The company will nonetheless focus on the markets in Japan, China and South-East Asia.


Reference:
BCC News 2009/10/26 (Chinese)
NCKU Campus News 2009/10/26 (Chinese)



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