Traceability of marine oils used in the nutraceutical, cosmetics and animal feed industries – TrackinOil

Marine lipids are used as ingredients in the nutraceutical, cosmetics and animal feed industries and can have different origins: biological (fisheries, micro-algae, genetically modified plants, synthetic) and from different geographical origins. The allegation associated with these ingredients (biosourcing, respect for the environment, sustainability, health benefits, dietary preferences, etc.) will lead to major differences in their price on a fast-growing market. This price disparity can lead to adulteration and fraudulent behaviors.
Widespread standard analytical techniques (GC-FID, EA-IRMS) enable an initial characterization of the origin of crude oils. However, the refining and distillation processes used to produce concentrated compounds from crude oils can mask all or part of their biological or geographical origin. This calls for the development and implementation of more advanced and innovative methods to authenticate and trace lipid molecules, using hydrogen and carbon isotope analysis of specific compounds (CSIA).
For companies from the above-mentioned sectors, beyond the legal and regulatory implications, the traceability of their ingredients is a major challenge in order to be able to guarantee compliance with their commercial policies and respect their commitments to the rational use of natural resources, and finally to preserve the value of the company's brand. It is therefore essential to identify the origin of lipids in suppliers' and commercial products, in order to detect and protect against fraud and adulteration.
To meet these complex socio-economic, safety, regulatory and environmental challenges, the TrackinOil LabCom aims to bring together POLARIS and LEMAR's LIPIDOCEAN platform, internationally recognized respectively for their technical excellence in lipochemistry and polyunsaturated fatty acid processing, and for their scientific excellence in the accurate analysis of marine lipids.
The aim of the LabCom will be to develop and commercialize innovative molecular profiling and compound specific isotopic signature tools for lipid ingredients used in the nutraceutical, cosmetics and animal nutrition sectors, by combining various chromatographic and spectrometric techniques (GC-FID/MS, GC-c/p-IRMS, EA-IRMS). The development of these tools will be structured along three main axes corresponding to decreasing degrees of operational maturity: i) optimizing and validating the traceability of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (TRL 5-6), ii) developing the traceability of isoprenoids (phytosterols, squalene, tocopherols) (TRL 3-4), iii) and carotenoids (TRL 1-2). In addition to the techniques already mastered by the joint laboratory, the potential analytical contribution of NMR, LC-MS²-HRMS and LC-IRMS will also be explored.
In parallel with the development of traceability tools, it will be essential to implement a library of reference lipids, and to maintain a market and scientific watch on emerging lipid ingredients and their sourcing. Finally, the LabCom will implement quality assurance procedures to meet international standards, in line with the ongoing validation of technical innovations for lipid traceability. Ultimately, the joint laboratory will be able to offer TM-type certification of lipid ingredients by molecular profiling and compound specific isotopic signature, so that traceability can be marketed as a high value-added service.