Thai Union Ingredients (TUI) has started operations at its Omega-3 Centre of Excellence (O3C), a state-of-the-art facility designed to explore more efficient and specialized methods for refining various Omega-3 oils. It is now officially open for all interested companies for collaboration and research on Omega-3 oils for infant nutrition, dietary supplements and nutritional foods.
Located on the site of the Company’s crude fish oil facility in Samut Sakhon, Thailand, O3C and its three scientists and technicians have 225 square meters of state-of-the-art laboratories and research facilities at their disposal to develop all products related to the health benefits of Omega-3 oils. They are set up to work in coordination with TUI’s cutting-edge Omega-3 oil refinery in Rostock, Germany.
O3C’s played a central role in optimizing the refinery process for UniQ DHA, TUI’s tuna oil product. Now, its scope has widened to cover other Omega-3 oils including other fish oil and algal oil. The facility will enable TUI to test and scale oils with different nutritional values, sensory attributes, and concentrations of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)- a key ingredient in baby formula.
Highest production standards from start to finish
The processes undertaken at O3C involve sourcing suitable materials, refining the oils using the latest technological developments and delivering the products in line with quality standards and customer requirements. Once the process is complete, the materials are transferred to Rostock where they are tested at a larger scale before being shipped to customers around the world.
O3C is a central part of TUI’s strategic plan to derive value from every part of the fish Thai Union processes. This also goes for marine plants, providing healthy and nutritious ingredients to support the lifestyles of consumers of all ages.
Thiraphong Chansiri, Thai Union’s CEO and President, said: “Our goal of Healthy Living, Healthy Oceans is core to the future of Thai Union and the common thread across our business strategy. Our new Omega-3 Centre of Excellence epitomizes this vision, making sure we not only maximize the value from every fish and plant we use but also help people of all ages stay healthy and active.â€
Leonardus Coolen, Managing Director of TUI, said: “Our Omega-3 Centre of Excellence is the next step on our journey to ensuring TUI delivers the healthiest and highest quality ingredients to our customers. It is particularly exciting for potential customers as it allows us to optimize the final point of our end-to-end supply chain at our Rostock plant to deliver the highest quality Omega-3 oils to customers both in Europe and around the world. In the very near future, we will install pilot scale facilities that resemble our facilities in Rostock even better to help validate the process from lab scale to commercial scale. All companies interested in the production of highest quality Omega-3 applications are welcome to collaborate with us – we have the people, the expertise and the processing facilities to meet their expectations.
