The facility in Norway will include a new synthesis plant, which will use Epax’s specific fractionation technology to modify fish oil and extract different fatty acids for bespoke nutrition products.
“The new plant enables us to fully utilize the North Atlantic crude oil sources,” Thomas Gulbrandsen, global sales and marketing director at Epax, told Nutrainrgedients.
Fractionation technology
The new fractionation technology is a process that splits North Atlantic fish oil into new and novel products, a task which is otherwise challenging due to the fatty acid composition of the North Atlantic fish, Gulbrandsen explained.
Following a pilot period, the technology is ready for industrial scale roll out: As of June 2024, construction work of the new plant was already underway, and it is scheduled for an early 2026 inauguration.
The investment also includes an expansion of the tank farm where crude fish oil is stored to improve Epax’s ability to make use of the various fractions of the oil, with more being used in products for human nutrition.
Fish oil rich in omega-9 and omega-11
Soon, the new plant will have the capacity to process 5,000 tonnes of crude oil per year, all derived from North Atlantic pelagic fish species, an “unusually rich source” of omega-9 and Omega-11.
This is a significant aim in Epax’s investment—to create new patented products containing omega-9 and omega-11, which tend to be lesser known than omega-3s.
These long-chain monounsaturated fatty acids (LC-MUFAs) have shown potential in nutraceutical applications targeting skin and metabolic health, as well as beauty and personal care products.
Back in 2012, Epax launched its NovusLipid category designed to commercialize new fish oils, a key component of which was exploring the use of omega-11 cetoleic acid and omega-9 gondoic acid commonly found in North Atlantic fish.
According to Gulbrandsen, there is now a real demand for an optimized production process to manage this new oil.
“Our team has engineered a cutting-edge method to isolate and up-concentrate fatty acids from North Atlantic fish, which differ significantly from those in other regions,” he said.
“This breakthrough has driven our investment in a new synthesis plant.”
As he explained, point-of-sales data from market research company SPINS show that the volume of fish oil omega-3 supplement grew by 10% in 2024 compared to 2023, despite supply challenges and some price increases.
He added that in the same period, krill supplement volume grew by 3.2%, and algae supplement volume declined by 5.9%.
“This tells us that the consumer still takes a keen interest in fish oil, and, fortunately, there is so much more to discover,” Gulbrandsen said, noting that a single fish can be considered a biological factory as it contains more than 100 fatty acids.
Sustainability incentives in fish oil production
The new synthesis plant will enhance fraction utilization, enabling greater upcycling of fishery industry trimmings, Gulbrandsen explained. This contributes to Epax’s reported 97% circularity, which is significant in its ESG considerations.
Similarly to many marine oil businesses, the majority of CO2 emissions originate from raw materials. However, Epax lowered CO2 emissions by 13.3% between 2021 and 2022, followed by a 9% reduction in 2023 from 2022. The company aims to achieve an absolute reduction in CO2 emissions annually until 2030.
Furthermore, according to statistics from the Norwegian bank DnB, the company has already created 79 full-time jobs at various local businesses, and the new investment also aims to boost the local economy as Epax hires local contractors for construction.
