What is in this article?:
- Krill oil awareness hits critical mass, but what about sustainability?
- Krill sustainability issues may hold back sales
Krill oil is beginning to break through to the public’s awareness. The fish have more omega-3s than other fish and also contain astaxanthin, a potent carotenoid, which is also said to boost bioavailability. Though these facts may make krill sales increase, the fish sources are getting smaller, which may raise prices. And many are still questioning the sustainability of krill.
A Frost & Sullivan study estimated that worldwide krill-oil sales amount to about $81.5 million. While the overall EPA/DHA market dwarfs these numbers at more than $1.45 billion, krill oil is beginning to break through to the public’s awareness.
As the fatty fish stocks from which fish oil is presently extracted get smaller, more scattered and thus harder to harvest, some observers believe that fish-oil prices will rise, making the higher krill-oil price less daunting to consumers.
Information from clinical studies continue to confirm that omega-3 uptake from phospholipid-based krill oil appears to be greater than that from triglyceride-based fish oil. In addition, krill oil naturally contains astaxanthin, a potent carotenoid, which is also said to boost bioavailability. As that information reaches the public, krill-oil sales should show additional vigor. Elzaphan Hotam, CEO at Enzymotec, a major producer of krill-oil products, notes that a krill-specific study is currently under way, with results likely sometime in 2012.