From Newsgurus.com
One of the most exciting new products from the rapidly growing Aquaculture Industry is Astaxanthin, a derivative from the microalgae Haematococcus pluvalis. After some 15 years of research by various aquaculture companies, some of whom failed and disappeared, four companies have succeeded and are now in the early stages of mass-producing this most interesting product. Two of those companies are publicly owned.
Initially this product was planned as a natural rival to the synthetic Astaxanthin and its less attractive cousin, Cantaxanthin, which are produced by the giant pharmaceutical company Roche (F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.) and sold largely to salmon, trout, and shrimp farmers at prices that have ranged as high as $2,300 a kilo or over $1,000 per pound (based on converting their 8% Carophyll Pink which they have sold for as high as $185/kg). It adds the pink/red color to the flesh of farmed products making them almost as marketable as wild caught products. A natural Astaxanthin would enable farmers to label their products “natural” without chemicals whereas a farmer relying on Roche’s product could not use that positive marketing label. Market prices for Astaxanthin were two to three times production costs so the economic motivation was strong.
While the aquaculture market is continuing to be an impressive growth area, other animal markets include the equine and boar (pig), and veterinarian markets are also attractive. But many of the scientists involved in its development, mindful of its antioxidant properties, always hoped that eventually the “BIG” market would be the human health supplement market. This market offered potential well beyond those mentioned and at prices five to ten times production costs. In other words, a potential BONANZA! |
