The Need

Driven by the well-established health benefits of EPA and DHA, demand is rising for convenient dietary sources beyond traditional supplements in a pill format. While EPA/DHA fortified foods like milk, yogurt, and eggs offer an alternative, they often rely on fish oil derived EPA/DHA, posing challenges for those with allergies, environmental concerns, or dietary restrictions. Between the carrier foods and the fish-oil derived source of EPA/DHA, this highlights the need for diverse, EPA/DHA functional foods that provide options for numerous different dietary restrictions, allergies, and preferences.

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The Technology

To address this gap in options, OSU inventors have developed a vegan functional beverage with EPA/DHA supplementation by taking plant-based beverages, such as soy milk or oat milk, and adding commercially available EPA and DHA that are derived from genetically engineered yeast and algae. This functional beverage produces an effective and more appealing way to supplement EPA/DHA into one’s diet that is suitable for those who cannot consume dairy or egg products supplemented with the more common fish-oil derived EPA/DHA.

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Benefits/Advantages

• A Vegan Equivalent to Supplemented Dairy Products: clinical trials have shown that nutritional delivery and pharmacokinetics of non-fish oil EPA/DHA in plant-based milks is equivalent to that of a supplement containing the same concentrations of the fatty acids.
• Consistent Quality and Purity: Unlike fish oil derived EPA/DHA, the ratios of these fatty acids can be manipulated when derived from yeast and algae. The non-fish oil EPA/DHA also does not impact quality parameters of plant-based milks, such as taste, color or texture.
• Sustainable and Environmentally Friendly: By eliminating the reliance on fish-derived sources, the technology contributes to the preservation of marine ecosystems and reduces the pressure on global fish stocks.