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NCKU team find algae with potential benefits for health

A group of researchers at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) announced yesterday they had found a type of algae in Taiwanese waters that contains high levels of the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

Yang Huey-lang (楊惠郎), an NCKU professor in charge of the university’s Aquatic Biotechnology and Medical Research Team, told a press conference in Taipei that DHA is an important nutrient for humans, animals and fish.

He said that researchers in the West had proved that it boosts brain and retina development in babies and infants and can prevent cardiovascular illness.

Yang said that out of the 30 microalgaes the team had recovered from the waters around Taiwan over the past three years, one sample, dubbed BL10, had high levels of DHA.

Scientists are able to extract very small amounts of DHA from fish and seafood, but the NCKU team extracted 0.3g from 1g of powder made from BL10, 10 times the amount found in seafood or fish oil, Yang said.

Yang said the findings were expected to generate between NT$1 billion (US$30.8 million) and NT$2 billion in profits from the DHA supplement market.
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