Greenshell™ mussel (GSM, Perna canaliculus) is New Zealand's most important aquaculture species. They are a good source of long chain-polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LC PUFA). Beyond a traditional food product, GSMs are also sold as mussel powders and oil extract formats in the nutraceutical markets. In this study, a four-sequence, single dose, randomized crossover human trial with eight evaluable healthy male participants was undertaken to determine the bioavailability of the n-3 LC PUFA in four different GSM formats (oil, powder, food ingredient and half-shell unprocessed whole mussel) by measuring area under the curve (AUC) and maximal concentration (CMax). Blood samples were collected at baseline and up to 48 h after initiation of product consumption in each administration period. There were minor differences between the bioavailability of FA (fatty acid) between the different GSM formats. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) peak concentrations and plasma exposures were significantly lower with GSM oil compared to GSM half-shell and GSM powder formats, which resulted in AUC0-48 for the intake of GSM half-shell mussel and GSM powder being significantly higher than that for GSM oil (p = 0.013, f= 4.84). This equated to a 20.6% and 24.3% increase in the amount of EPA present in the plasma after consumption of half-shell mussels and mussel powder respectively compared to GSM oil. GSM oil produced the shortest median time to maximal plasma n-3 LC PUFA concentration of all evaluated products demonstrated by a shorter maximum measured plasma concentration (TMax = 5 h). Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and n-3 LC PUFA plasma exposure parameters were statistically comparable across the four GSM products evaluated.
Keywords: Perna canaliculus; docosahexaenoic acid (DHA); eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA); green lipped mussels; pharmacokinetics.