Growing Demand for High-Quality Finished Product that Meets Regulatory & Health Issues and New Strategic Alliance Create Conditions for Expansion
ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 14, 2008 — Valensa International announced today that it has increased its capacity for the extraction of Haematococcus pluvialis for the manufacture of finished all-natural astaxanthin. The move was made in light of recently growing demand for a high-quality astaxanthin in North America, Asia and Europe that is both pesticide-free and allergen-free – two conditions that are only possible with select raw material sources and extraction facilities. In addition to market demand, a recently formed Strategic Alliance with Cyanotech Corporation (Kona, HI), where Valensa provides extraction services of raw material provided by Cyanotech, will require increased capacity to facilitate orderly growth of supply for the market and increased uptake of Valensa's own ZANTHIN(R) natural astaxanthin brand. The capacity expansion will be approximately 20% and will be achieved primarily through manufacturing efficiencies and de-bottlenecking its facilities in Eustis, Florida, USA. The expansion will include new facilities for screening biomass against the presence of pesticides. Astaxanthin products extracted at Valensa's Eustis facility will be certified pesticide- and allergen-free.
According to Dr. Rudi Moerck, President of Valensa, high-quality astaxanthin biomass and strict quality control in manufacturing are the two key elements for creating a finished astaxanthin product that meets or exceeds the quality and regulatory requirements of world markets. "There is growing interest and excitement about the potential of astaxanthin – the world's most potent antioxidant with clinical trial data indicating support in areas such as eye health, neurological health, immune support, inflammation reduction and skin health. Recently, the demand for a high-quality, pesticide-free source of the product has outstripped supply. The Strategic Alliance that we have formed with Cyanotech Corporation and our move to increase extraction capacity will help meet market requirements for this growing demand," he said. "Valensa has provided extraction services to Cyanotech for some time now and we were impressed by their biomass purity and pesticide-free profile," he said. "Our company has previously qualified a number of astaxanthin biomass sources, but product purity and overall product integrity led us to choose Cyanotech as our principal algae biomass supplier." Valensa's ZANTHIN(R) natural astaxanthin product has been marketed in the United States for over a decade and was the first astaxanthin extract to have Novel Foods approval in the European Union in July 2004. "These approvals require a pesticide-free, solvent-free and allergen-free astaxanthin. By qualifying our suppliers and screening our raw materials, through the use of supercritical carbon dioxide extraction technology and through our superior quality management, we are uniquely positioned to deliver the astaxanthin products required by world markets," said Dr. Moerck.
For further information, contact:
Dr. Rudi Moerck, President
Voice: 352-357-2004
Fax: 352-483-2095
http://www.valensa.com