Irvine, CA-based Cyvex Nutrition was acquired by fish oil specialist Omega Protein Corporation of Houston, TX. Matthew Phillips (former Cyvex president and COO) will be the new CEO while Gilbert Gluck (Cyvex founder and former owner) will be a consultant.

Ogden, UT-based Mineral Resources International, Inc. launched www.mineralingredients.com to offer finished product makers information about its branded sea mineral concentrates from Utah’s Great Salt Lake. The new site reviews each product’s capabilities, features and benefits.

The second Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS2) is being conducted by the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health, and the group decided to use DSM’s FloraGLO lutein, OPTISHARP zeaxanthin and ROPUFA omega-3 fatty acids to test how these nutrients affect the progression of age-related macular degeneration and associated vision loss.

Stratum Nutrition of St. Louis, MO acquired “a significant interest” in ESM Technologies, LLC, based in Carthage, MO. According to a press statement “ESM Technologies now becomes a ‘joint venture’ between its previous owners and Stratum’s parent.  ESM will continue to be run by current management.” The companies plan to look into international growth opportunities that use ESM’s NEM and ESC ingredients in foods and beverages.

Avignon, France-based Naturex won the Best Innovative Stevia Product 2010 award for its Talin ingredient. The award was given during the Malta Stevia 2010 conference organized by the International Society of Antioxidants in Nutrition and Health.

Aker BioMarine, with worldwide headquarters in Oslo, Norway, is now a member of the Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3 (GOED).

Deerland Enzymes of Kennesaw, GA formed a joint product development alliance with Thione International, Inc. Theodore Hersh, Deerland’s new chief science officer, will lead the team’s new product development efforts.

East Windsor, NJ-based Sabinsa received a patent from the People’s Republic of China for Forskolin solubility. The patent is entitled, “Process for Preparing Water Soluble Diterpenes and Their Applications.”

Published in WholeFoods Magazine, February 2011