Raw Material and Processing
BiolaneTM New Zealand Green Lipped Mussel Extract (GLME) is the anti-inflammatory agent in Permavet JOINTCARE. The Green-lipped mussels are farmed in several parts of New Zealand, but mussels for BiolaneTM GLME are obtained almost exclusively from the Coromandel Coast. This isolated peninsula, east of Auckland, produces some of the highest-grade green-lipped mussels in New Zealand.
Early research indicated that simply drying and encapsulating green-lipped mussels did not produce a consistent product. Additionally, non-active components of the mussels diluted the activity. Two processes were combined to overcome this problem:
- First, a new and innovative Cold Extraction method was designed which both extracted the mussel from the shell and quickly extracted the active fraction.
- Second, freeze-drying was used as the means of preserving and stabilizing the product.
It is important to note that BiolaneTM GLME is the only green-lipped mussel extract to be manufactured using this unique activity-conserving process.
Vitaco Health (NZ) Ltd has invested over 40 years of research into the production and effectiveness of BiolaneTM GLME. As the green-lipped mussels reach peak condition at 18 months of age, they are harvested and shipped live in refrigerated trucks to Vitaco factory. The mussels are transferred to cool storage and processed through a unique cold extraction process, which is completely natural, avoiding the use of solvents. This results in a highly active freeze dried extract of green-lipped mussels - BiolaneTM. This extract is milled to produce a fine powder and encapsulated in hard gelatin capsules.
Both, the water and shellfish quality are regularly monitored in government laboratories. In addition to this, the laboratories carry out further microbiological and physical testing to ensure that the final product meets the highest international standards.