Neptune’s new leadership, DSM’s upcoming educational opportunity and several ingredient launches are making headlines this week, advancing the realm of omega-3s, vitamin E, cranberry ingredients and beyond.

This week, Jim Hamilton officially started as Neptune Technologies & Bioressources Inc.'s president and CEO. "I am very excited, both professionally and personally, to be joining Neptune," Hamilton said. "Having worked in the nutrition industry for 30 years, I am well aware of the health benefits nutraceutical products provide. In this respect, I have a special interest in omega-3s and omega-3 krill oils in particular, which offer a number of differentiated benefits."

In addition to this exciting news for the omega-3 sector, DSM’s Manfred Eggersdorfer and Jacob Bauly will join Arun Sanyal in a webinar to discuss the role of vitamin E in limiting the negative health implications of fatty liver. Fatty liver—the type caused by lifestyle, not by alcohol—is a growing issue worldwide. A non-alcoholic fatty liver is frequently associated with obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. DSM’s complimentary online event will take place on February 25, 2015. It is the latest of a series of webinars exploring new research on the role of nutrition in combating global health concerns. 

Product launches are also delighting the industry this week, as Naturex-DBS launches its line of powdered cranberry extracts standardized to a level of bacterial anti-adhesion activity (AAA), which is the biological function commonly associated with supporting urinary tract health. North American cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) has been shown to provide AAA against Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria, which is responsible for more than 75 percent of urinary tract infections (UTIs). Naturex offers three unique powdered extracts standardized to biological activity that are made exclusively with Vaccinium macrocarpon cranberries.

To provide a nourishing solution for the growing number of Americans concerned with maintaining brain health and cognition, HP Ingredients launched its NeuroActin™ ingredient, a patent-pending and proprietary extract of Andrographis paniculata. NeuroActin is standardized to andrographolide, 14-deoxyandrographolide and neoandrographolide, and it is shown to reduce cognitive impairment.

And finally, exciting new research published in the journal Digestive and Liver Disease showed the probiotic strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae CNCM I-3856 (Lynside® Pro GI+by Lesaffre) has a significant effect in improving abdominal pain and discomfort in individuals with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study assessed 200 volunteers treated with either 500 mg/d of Saccharomyces cerevisiae CNCM I­3856 or a placebo. Results showed a significant improvement in bowel pain and discomfort after four weeks of administration in 63 percent of subjects receiving the probiotic strain compared to placebo.