Safe, sustainable and supporting brighter futures: dsm-firmenich launches new DHA and ARA powders

DHA and ARA for optimal infant nutrition

• dsm-firmenich has launched two new high-quality lipid powders for infant nutrition, DHASCO®-B and ARASCO® powders — containing a minimum of 110 mg/g DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) or ARA (arachidonic acid) respectively. These powders contain safe and suitable sources of vegetarian DHA omega-3 and ARA omega-6, and can be used in infant and follow-on formulas and growing-up milk products.
• These powders have been developed to support optimal growth and development during early life, and enable producers to meet the recent expert recommendation for adding both DHA and ARA to infant and follow-on formula.
• dsm-firmenich is committed to supporting manufacturers in creating high-quality infant nutrition products with both DHA and ARA to shape healthy futures for infants and children.

DHA and ARA are long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) that play a crucial role in infant growth and development.^{1,2,3,4,5,6,7} In fact, recent findings indicate that these fatty acids have positive effects on a child’s development when provided together and in efficacious levels and ratios during infancy, with infant nutrition experts endorsing the presence of both DHA and ARA in infant and follow-on formula during this critical window of development.^8,9,10

DHA supports brain and cognitive development, such as mental adaptability, problem solving and information processing, and vision. ARA may as well play a role in brain and cognitive development, but also in supporting the development of a healthy immune system, bone formation, blood flow and blood vessel function.^{11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19}

Introducing new DHA and ARA powders for infant nutrition

dsm-firmenich supports DHA and ARA supplementation in infant nutrition products. Its new high-quality microbial DHA and ARA powders, DHASCO®-B and ARASCO®, help manufacturers create infant nutrition products that meet optimal levels of these key nutrients and support adequate intakes.

DHASCO®-B and ARASCO® contain microencapsulated life’sDHA® and life’s™ARA oils, safe and suitable sources of vegetarian DHA omega-3 and ARA omega-6. In fact, life’sDHA® and life’s™ARA are two of the most studied LC-PUFAs on the market with more than 234 million infants estimated to have been nourished with these lipids since their introduction in the late 1990s.

As well as supporting longer shelf life of infant nutrition products, due to greater stability, DHASCO®-B and ARASCO® powders have a limited number of formulation ingredients from conventional (non-GM) origin and are free from engineered nanomaterials. For infant nutrition producers looking to incorporate new solutions into their existing formulations, the new powders are designed to be an easy addition to dry blending manufacturing processes, and enable them to develop solutions with higher microbiological quality that effectively support adequate DHA and ARA intakes globally.

The first 1,000 days between the onset of a woman’s pregnancy and her child’s second birthday offer a unique window of opportunity for nutrition to shape healthier futures. It is essential that infants receive the necessary nutrients at appropriate levels to help set them on a path to a long, healthy life. Breastfeeding is the gold standard in infant nutrition, with DHA and ARA naturally found in breast milk.^20,21 However, parents — including mothers who cannot or choose not to breastfeed — should have access to safe and reliable infant nutrition products that contain these important nutrients for early life.

The new microbial powders, DHASCO®-B and ARASCO®, combined with dsm-firmenich’s expertise in infant nutrition, will help manufacturers provide a safe source of essential DHA and ARA for infants and children worldwide.