Albion, Aker BioMarine, Tetrahedron, AIDP and Virun Inc. recently announced new awards and achievements, ranging from the Customer of the Year award to a multi-million dollar tax credit.

Albion Human Nutrition named Alimentos S.A. as Albion’s 2014 International Customer of the Year. Francisco Pivaral, general manager of Alimentos, accepted the award in Guatemala City, Guatemala. One of Albion’s largest customers in Latin America, Alimentos has partnered with Albion on a number of projects, including the recently launched Incaparina Ready to Drink, which is a protein-rich nutritional beverage used in government nutrition programs and available for consumer purchase. Alimentos focuses on the development of products with a keen focus on innovation. 

Another recent achievement includes the new Non-GMO Project Verification granted to Aker BioMarine Antarctic US’s ingredient Superba(TM) Krill oil. This certification adds another layer of transparency to the company's supply chain and shows that all components used to make Superba krill oil contain no genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Superba Krill is also certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) as being sustainable and 100-percent traceable.

Tetrahedron’s self-affirmed GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status for its ERGONEINE ingredient, a source of the antioxidant L-ergothioneine, is allowing the company to move rapidly to address key issues for its broad commercialization in the U.S. market. In the spirit of transparency, a recently published Tetrahedron study on the reproductive safety evaluation of ERGONEINE in Food and Chemical Toxicology was presented during the Annual Meeting of the Society of Toxicology on March 22 to 24 in San Diego, California, underscoring the safety of ERGONEINE for use in nutritional products.

Another GRAS designation was confirmed when AIDP’s Magtein, magnesium l-threonate, a patented compound for cognitive health and Alzheimers Disease, received a Letter of No Objection from FDA. This means Magtein can be used in selected food categories at a level of up to 0.12 percent.

Lastly, the state of California invested in VIRUN Inc. and signed an agreement that issues the company a multi-million dollar tax credit, as long as VIRUN continues to grow and expand within the state of California. This agreement comes along with two newly granted patents in China that correlate with the release of VIRUN’s Esolv® clean-label vitamin E encapsulator. Esolv® is gaining popularity as the clean-label source to water-solubilize omega-3 EPA, DHA, curcumin and astaxanthin. Algatech will also premiere its AstaPure® branded astaxanthin in a new clear, water-soluble powder utilizing VIRUN’s Esolv®.