DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is an Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, commonly known as brain gold. It is one of the main elements for the growth and maintenance of nervous system cells, and it is also an important component of the brain and retina. What is important is that the health effects of DHA are not limited to brain and eye health, but not limited to infants and young children, but throughout the entire life cycle.
Studies have shown that DHA has obvious effects in regulating blood sugar, improving memory, stabilizing mood, and alleviating Alzheimer's disease. Whether it is in infants, adults, middle-aged and elderly people, the human body needs to supplement enough DHA. At present, supplementing Omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA is becoming more and more popular or becoming an important part of consumers' daily diet. Based on people’s increasing awareness of disease prevention and health care, the DHA market is developing faster and faster, and is widely used in infant formula products, dietary supplements, functional foods & beverages, pharmaceuticals, pet products & feed, and clinical nutrition. According to the market data from Allied Market Research, North America is currently the world's largest DHA market, accounting for approximately 35.84% of the total global market. Among them, the application of dietary supplement products is the most significant. The Asia-Pacific region ranks second in the world, accounting for about 28.95%. Factors such as consumption levels, population growth, and health awareness are driving the market to heat up. It is expected that the DHA market in the Asia-Pacific region will continue to account for the global share in the future improve. Europe is the world's third-largest DHA market, accounting for approximately 23.01%.
For the Asia-Pacific market, China's DHA industry has strong market demand, and the two main application types are health foods and infant formula foods. The development of the nutrition and health industry, the ever-increasing middle-class population, disposable income sources and the rise of the new generation of consumer groups are the main driving factors for the development of the domestic DHA market. In the past two years, with the opening of the country’s second-child policy and the emergence of the new generation of post-90s parent groups, it is expected that infant formula products will usher in a period of rapid growth in the future, and the demand for the DHA market will also increase.
In this era of diversified needs, natural, food safety assurance, plant-based, green production and sustainable development have become part of consumer values. One of the highlights of algae oil DHA is "vegetarian". Plant-derived DHA is not easy to produce allergens, does not contain cholesterol, and is easily absorbed by the human body, it does not have the inherent fishy smell of fish oil, meets the needs of clean label products, and can cater to people with different dietary cultures. In recent years, marine pollution and overfishing in human fisheries have been increasing. Fish resources may face shortages. Seaweed DHA has a competitive advantage in terms of resource utilization and industrial chain sustainability. The important thing is that algae can be cultivated through simple growth nutrients, which have the advantages of a short growth cycle and fast harvest. It can also increase the content of EPA and DHA through the control of bioengineering methods and culture conditions, it is also rich in Omega-3. Although the current cost of obtaining algal oil DHA is relatively high, with the development of time, consumers will gradually recognize and accept it.
