BASF (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) today announced the acquisition of Equateq Ltd., a global leader in the manufacturing of highly concentrated omega-3 fatty acids. With the acquisition, BASF extends its portfolio of omega-3 products for the pharmaceutical and dietary supplement industries with a new offering of highly concentrated omega-3 fatty acids.
Equateq has a production site located on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland with 47 employees. Equateq with all its employees will be integrated into the Pharma Ingredients & Services unit, which is part of BASF’s Nutrition & Health division. The integration is expected to be completed by the end of 2012. The companies have agreed not to disclose financial details of the transaction.
Equateq’s proprietary chromatographic separation methods allow flexible formulation of omega-3 fatty acids at exceptional purity levels. “Equateq’s technologies will enable us to customize fatty acid concentrates with variable ratios of EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) at concentration levels of up to 99% purity. This is unique in the market,” explained Martin Widmann, Senior Vice President, Pharma Ingredients & Services at BASF.
In nutritional applications, especially dietary supplements, relevant essential fatty acids serve specific health conditions – for example eye health, brain health or heart health. In pharmaceutical products, highly concentrated omega-3 fatty acids are used to treat cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial infarction. “By extending our product range of omega-3 fatty acids, we show once more our commitment to the health and well-being of consumers all over the world,” emphasized Dissinger.
BASF believes that highly concentrated omega-3 fatty acids are a global growing market.