Enzymotec claims Japanese patent phospholipids boost

The Approval of the Japanese authorities, announced back in November, relates to the group’s “enzymatic process for the production of predetermined 1-acyl-2 lyso and 1,2-diacylated glycerophospholipids and their synthetic or natural analogues.”​

Under this latest patent, the group says that its phospholipids products can be made available to Japanese consumers for the first time alongside markets in the US and Israel.

A spokesperson for the company suggested that this development was particularly important for its phospholipids range of goods that are marketed as providing potential cognitive improvement.

This range, sold under the Sharp brand, includes supplements that combine Phosphatidylserine (PS) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

Crill​

Enzymotec launched a phospholipid-based, DHA-rich oil back in October in under the name of Crill, which it claimed comes from an unnamed natural source.

The ingredient, suitable for dietary supplement applications, is reportedly cheaper than krill oil, but more expensive when comparing the product to fish oil (DHA), the company said.

“It’s not fish oil, its closer to krill but has more ​DHA than EPA,”​ stated a group spokesperson back in October.

Enzymotec added that it does not currently hold any other Lyso–phospholipids patents across Asia and did not confirm its plans for the segment in the region over the future.

Investment​

Obtaining the Japanese patent marks an ongoing development for the group, which earlier this month announced it had raised $11 million (€8.54m) from its three major shareholders and new investor, Arancia International.

The new funding was expected to go into the development of lipid-based health products, though the company says that it also hopes to complete production of a new research and development site in Israel.

Enzymotec said that it was also in the process of finalising a further $7m (€5.44m) from a major Israeli bank.