Dos Pinos launches new omega-3 milk in Costa Rica

GAT Food Essentials' wowCAPS^® technology enables fortification of dairy product with omega-3.

Dos Pinos launched Cardilac, a milk fortified with omega-3 from fish oil, adding a new product to its innovative, popular and healthy "in line" product line. In order to stabilize the fish oil and protect the long-chain omega-3 EPA/DHA from oxidation and degradation Dos Pinos worked closely with Austrian microencapsulation specialist GAT Food Essentials. During the product development process the two companies overcame the challenge of adding omega-3 to a complex application containing iron and other reactive ingredients as well as establishing several months of shelf-life. Using GAT's proprietary wowCAPS® technology the omega-3 enrichment was achieved without any changes to the already existing production process or influencing the excellent sensorial properties of Cardilac milk.

Health Benefits

Cardilac milk contains long chain omega-3 from fish oil which is shown to have positive effects on cardiovascular health and is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) in order to prevent or manage cardiovascular disease (CVD). The milk is suitable for children over the age of one, and is especially marketed to customers at risk of CVD and should be part of any healthy diet. Cardilac offers benefits to people of all age groups and is available in supermarkets throughout Costa Rica.

"In Costa Rica, as well as in other countries around the world, cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death, reason why Dos Pinos has decided to offer a functional milk called Cardilac, which provides an important nutrient, omega-3, that certainly helps people in their fight to prevent this disease" says Mrs. Milagro Mora, Corporate Nutritionist at Dos Pinos. "Dos Pinos is very pleased to once again innovate with healthy products and be a pioneer in the introduction of functional ingredients in a very popular product such as milk, in order to provide the Costa Rican population with a better nutrition to achieve health."

Due to the very positive reaction to the product launch Dos Pinos and GAT Food Essentials agreed to extend their collaboration and already started working on new product developments to bring the benefits of functional food to more people in Latin America.

About Dos Pinos

Dos Pinos is Costa Rica's largest dairy company and one of the most successful dairy companies in Latin America. Founded in 1947 the company builds on more than 60 years of product development and innovation, to offer its customers one of the most diverse and comprehensive product lines in the market today.

About GAT Food Essentials

GAT Food Essentials is a leading microencapsulation specialist focusing on the stabilization of sensitive active functional food ingredients. Using its proprietary wowCAPS® technology, GAT offers technological solutions for the addition of active ingredients to food and beverage applications, ensuring the stability of the ingredient during processing, handling and the shelf-life of the product.