Producing A Higher Quality Mussel Powder

The creation of the highest quality mussel powder begins with the selection of the finest green shelled mussels available. These mussels have been cultivated specifically for this purpose - to be converted into a powder. The mussels are grown and then harvested at the time of the year when their nutrient levels are at their highest. Many producers of Green Lipped Mussel Powder use the ''seconds' (mussels that are produced all year round for food) - the quality of the nutrients is not the same, that is why our mussels are only harvested when the time is right.

The goal of the En'Zaq process is to convert the fresh live mussels into a finished powder form in as short a time as possible. This proprietary process takes just 30 minutes from beginning to end. The mussels are not cooked or frozen during this special process.

As a result of the unique processing method, the nutrients are kept intact. This guarantees the highest levels of nutrients make it into the product that you receive. In order to ensure a consistent high quality product, Neptone production lots have been regularly assayed for their bioactivity by the Bioactivity Investigative Group (BIG) of the Wellington School of Medicine, so that users of Neptone may be assured of the highest quality in the selection and process of this wonderful whole food.

There are 5 main factors affecting the quality of Green Lipped Mussel Powder:

1. Quality of raw materials at input
2. Enzymatic degradation
3. Exposure to air degradation
4. Exposure to excessive heat
5. Risk of product contamination through excessive handling

The process used to produce Neptone has been developed from technology used to dry heat sensitive products
such as milk and blood to specifically address the 5 factors above:

• QUALITY OF MATERIALS - Extensive testing has been done on mussel quality versus powder quality. The testing has identified a direct correlation. The higher the quality of mussel used, the higher the quality of the powder that is produced.  Research and testing was also done to identify the geographic area producing the best and most consistent quality mussels. The results of this testing were used to acquire an  exclusive supply contract to ensure our mussels are only sourced from this the area that was identified in the testing. We work with one farmer to ensure our high specifications are met, we pay a premium to achieve this. This is an area other producers neglect.
• ENZYMATIC DEGRADATION - The En’Zaq® process has a process step to address this issue at a very early stage to negate the detrimental effects of enzymatic degradation.
• EXPOSURE TO AIR - The En’Zaq® process has been designed to ensure contact with air is minimized - both by either the raw mussels or the powder. It is much easier to achieve this because of our enclosed one-step process. With traditional six-step freeze drying methods it is impossible to prevent prolonged exposure to the air.
• EXCESSIVE HEAT - Neptone powder is exposed to high heat for no longer than 3-5 seconds, long enough to evaporate the moisture in the mussels without heating the powder to an excessive temperature for an extended period. Long periods of exposure to high heat degrades the protein and diminishes the product's value. That is why Neptone is neither cooked not frozen at any time.
• RISK OF CONTAMINATION - The unique one-step process we use eliminates handling issues as the product is not touched by human hands from the raw mussel to the finished powder. The very short processing time and temperature ensure no contamination can occur at any stage of the process. The quality of the product is backed up by the microbiological testing of each batch. En'Zaq® has not had a single batch fail in 10 years of using this process.

Initial test results on the bioactivity of Neptone Powder back up the fact that the En'Zaq process results in an outstanding product. Neptone USA is committed to producing the best mussel powder available.  Ongoing research and evolving processes ensure this happens.