Product description
A fish scale is a composite material: a collagen matrix reinforced with hydroxyapatite, the same calcium phosphate mineral that reinforces human bone. Roughly 40 to 50% of scale dry weight is that mineral.
In conventional collagen production the mineral is dissolved during demineralisation and leaves the plant in the acid liquor as the largest single waste stream. We recover it instead, and process it into a food-grade calcium phosphate.
Marine-derived hydroxyapatite differs from synthetic material in a way that matters. It is nano-crystalline and carbonate-substituted — the form biological bone mineral actually takes — rather than the stoichiometric, highly crystalline structure produced by chemical synthesis.
Product characteristics
| Origin | Marine fish scale mineral fraction |
|---|---|
| Appearance | White to off-white fine powder |
| Structure | Nano-crystalline, carbonate-substituted apatite |
| Ca : P molar ratio | 1.60 – 1.70 (stoichiometric hydroxyapatite is 1.67) |
| Solubility | Practically insoluble in water; soluble in dilute acid |
| Bioavailability | Naturally occurring calcium-to-phosphorus ratio |
Functions
- Supplies bioavailable calcium and phosphorus in their naturally occurring ratio
- Supports bone mineral density formulations
- Acts as a remineralising agent in oral care applications
- Provides a marine-origin alternative to synthetic and mined calcium sources
Applications
- Calcium and bone health supplements — produced under your brand as Marine Calcium or Bone Health
- Fortification of foods and beverages with calcium
- Toothpaste and dental remineralising formulations — see Oral Care private label
- Bone graft substitutes and implant coatings — in development with research partners