The Omega-3 PUFA market is projected to grow at a healthy CAGR of 12.8% between 2014 and 2019. Dietary supplements as an application garner the largest market share of 55%, followed by functional food & beverage and pharmaceuticals. As there is a growing demand amongst consumers for healthy ingredients fortified into food and beverage to prevent disease, the functional food & beverage sector is growing at a considerable rate. The pharmaceutical and infant formula category is also expected to exhibit a robust growth rate in the next five years. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) dominate the Omega- 3 PUFA market, by type, and fish oils are the largest and dominant sources as they are rich in EPA and DHA.
The Omega-3 PUFA market is expanding at a significant rate. North America is the largest market for Omega-3 PUFA, due to the demand for functional foods & beverages and technological advancements. In Europe, regulations favor the usage of Omega-3 PUFA in functional foods and infant formula and are expected to spur the demand in its developed markets.
The Asia-Pacific region has huge market potential for Omega-3 PUFA as consumer awareness about Omega-3 PUFA’s preventive healthcare benefits has increased and there is a rising occurrence of cardiovascular disease. The presence of a favorable government regulatory environment for safer and healthy products further boosts the Asia-Pacific market.