Preserving omega-3-rich oils from a new renewable plant-based source through bio-innovation

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Two challenges are associated with incorporating oils enriched with health-beneficial omega-3 fatty acids into food/feed (£600M global market): 1) Supply; and 2) Susceptibility to oxidative deterioration. The majority of dietary omega-3 fatty acids consumed by humans and farmed fish are derived from oily fish; this supply is either static or dwindling and so is not able to keep up with growing human and farmed-fish populations. Echium seed has the potential to deliver to the food and feed markets a renewable oil, enriched with omega-3 fatty acids, that is contained within a natural emulsion droplet (oil body) that may protect the oil from oxidation ex-vivo. These natural emulsions are extractable from seeds without the use of organic solvents, and would not require the addition of extra surfactants or antioxidants, making them very attractive commercially. Establishing the oxidative stability of echium seed oil bodies is pivotal to unlocking the commercial potential of this idea.