Nikki Putnam is a registered dietitian nutritionist for Alltech and focuses her efforts on algae. She talked about the future of farming algae to increase DHA Omega-3 fatty acids in our diets with Chuck at the recent National Association of Farm Broadcasting’s Trade Talk.
“We are specifically using algae to enrich animal diets, not only to create a healthier animal but to then create a value added end product for the consumer. We found this DHA Omega-3 fatty acid taken up from the algae into the animal diet is expressed through the meat, milk and eggs the animals produce.”
Nikki reminded us that most people in the United States are deficient in DHA Omega-3 fatty acids, receiving them mainly from fish or supplements. Alltech is eliminating the middle man. How so? Fish don’t naturally produce these fatty acids. They receive them from algae they eat. This puts a strain on the fish population. The process of adding DHA’s to the food we already love eating is a win win. Alltech is also feeding algae to farm-raised Tilapia to add DHA Omega-3 fatty acid, which isn’t typically found in farm-raised fish.
In the grocery store, Nikki said we should be looking for DHA Enriched labeling if we are looking to increase fatty acids in your food. To learn more about this fascinating process, listen to Chuck’s complete interview with Nikki here: Interview with Nikki Putnam, Dietitian Nutritionist for Alltech