Marine Policosanols from Zooca®: A Unique Bioactive

Zooca® Calanus® Oil is a sustainable and rich marine oil bound in a natural form called wax ester, and the only commercially available lipid solution containing substantial amounts of marine policosanols, an important compound of its unique structure.

These long-chain alcohols are not added or enriched. They are a natural, intrinsic part of the oil’s molecular design and a key differentiator to other marine oils.

Zooca® Calanus® Oil contains around 40% marine policosanols, along with a broad fatty acid profile and naturally occurring astaxanthin, setting it apart from conventional marine oils. It also offers impressive, science-backed benefits.

Policosanols have long been studied in nutrition science, mainly from plant sources. 

What sets Zooca® Calanus® Oil apart is not simply the presence of these compounds, but the fact that marine policosanols occur naturally in significant amounts within an intact wax ester system.

Unlike most common Omega-3 oils, wax esters consist of fatty acids naturally linked to long-chain alcohols. This creates a distinct lipid structure in which marine policosanols are a natural structural component rather than an isolated additive. This wax ester structure may influence digestion kinetics, with hydrolysis occurring further along the intestinal tract and resulting in a coordinated release of fatty acids and long-chain alcohols¹.

Furthermore, research confirms Zooca® Calanus® Oil is a bioavailable source of EPA and DHA despite its distinct structural composition².

Calanus finmarchicus is a renewable and eco-friendly resource in the Norwegian Sea that regenerates each year Around 290 million tonnes of Calanus are produced each year, of which just 0.0005% is sustainably harvested to produce Zooca® Calanus® Oil. Backed by extensive clinical research, Zooca® Calanus® Oil has also demonstrated positive effects in areas including metabolic health and healthy ageing^3-6.

Zooca® Calanus® oil is offered as a finished softgel capsule product, with minimum order quantities set to support efficient product development and a smooth market launch.

For more information, download our Zooca® Calanus® Oil product profile sheet here or contact us.

_{References
(1) Cook, et al (2016). Wax-ester rich oil from the marine crustacean Calanus finmarchicus is a bioavailable source of EPA and DHA for human consumption. Journal of the American Oil Chemists’ Society, 93, 1345–1354.
(2) Vosskötter, et al (2023). Equal bioavailability of omega-3 PUFA from Calanus oil, fish oil and krill oil: A 12-week randomized parallel study. Lipids, 58, 231–243.
(3) Stepan, et al (2022) Combined aerobic and resistance training with calanus oil supplementation improves central cardiodynamic function in older women. doi:10.3390/nu1401014
(4) Cizkova, et. al (2020) Exercise Training Reduces Inflammation of Adipose Tissue in the Elderly: Cross-Sectional and Randomized Interventional Trial. doi:10.1210/clinem/dgaa630
(5) Dadova, et al (2020) Effect of Calanus Oil Supplementation and 16-week exercise Program on Selected Fitness Parameters in Older Women. doi:10.3390/nu12020481
(6) Brezinova, et al (2020) Exercise training induces insulin-sensitizing PAHSAs in adipose tissue of elderly women. doi:10.3390/nu14020396}