Wax ester

[1] Marine organisms like dinoflagellates, pelagic invertebrates, and fishes store low-density wax esters in their swim bladders or other tissues to provide buoyancy.

[5] Wax esters per se are a normal part of the diet of humans as a lipid component of certain foods, including unrefined whole grain cereals, seeds, and nuts.

Kinetic data show that EPA and DHA provided as wax esters reaches a maximal concentration at approximately 20 h post-consumption, and may indicate delayed absorption of the fatty acids.

[7] There has been a common understanding that wax esters are poorly absorbed by humans, partly due to outbreaks of the purgative effect named keriorrhea, associated with consumption of oilfish (Ruvettus pretiosus) and escolar (Lepdocybium flavobrunneum).

In 2015 a randomized, two-period crossover human study, showed that EPA and DHA from oil extracted from the small crustacean Calanus finmarchicus was highly bioavailable and the study concluded that oil from C. finmarchicus could serve as a relevant source of the healthy omega-3 fatty acids EPA, DHA and SDA.

Marine wax esters have become a focus of attention due to documented positive effects on widespread medical conditions related to certain diets.

[9][10] Harvesting on a lower trophic level on short-lived organisms would be more sustainable and the products would be less prone to environmental toxins and pollutants.

Wax ester-based products from the small crustacean Calanus finmarchicus have been commercialized and sold by the Norwegian company Zooca.