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Hawaii's Mera Pharmaceuticals and AstaFactor(R) Showcased on Discovery Channel November 1st
Discovery Network's highly popular television series, "Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe" has discovered the Big Island's Mera Pharmaceuticals (MRPI) and their AstaFactor(R) brand astaxanthin, which will be featured on the nationally televised show November 1st at 9:00 P.M. EST.
AstaFactor(R) is a nutritional supplement and a powerful antioxidant with 500 times more potency than Vitamin E. Mera currently markets several AstaFactor(R) products, which relieve muscle and joint pain associated with daily activities, strenuous workouts and the strains affecting "Weekend Warriors." AstaFactor(R) is produced by Mera in Kailua Kona, Hawaii, U.S.A.
With mainland orders for the product on the rise, Discovery Channel found their perfect subject, bringing host Rowe up close and personal with the process of making the nutraceutical, including all aspects of harvesting the colorful microalgae at Mera's facility located at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA) on Hawaii's Big Island.
The process provided the perfect visuals for the Discovery show which features "Jobs you've never heard of" and "Jobs you'd never do." According to Dr. Miguel Olaizola, Mera's Chief Scientific Officer, "Dirty Jobs" executive producers Craig Piligian and Eddie Barbini were fascinated with the algae's deep red pigment that stains everything it comes in contact with, making this a perfect fit for the show. "It's a really fun segment and educational too, which we like to see in our program content. This is definitely one of the more interesting segments in our series this year," says executive producer Eddie Barbini.
"The source of AstaFactor(R) is a microalga that is grown using Mera's patented technology, which provides a high level of control while keeping out contaminants," says Dr. Olaizola. "The messy part of the process comes after the algae make astaxanthin, a compound that is in the carotenoid family. Carotenoids are characterized by their strong pigmentation, which in the case of astaxanthin is a very deep red color. It's what gives wild salmon its distinctive coloring," Olaizola added.
"Our bodies constantly produce substances, called oxidants or free radicals, that actually harm our cells. AstaFactor(R) contains natural compounds that neutralize those harmful substances and does so much more effectively than any other antioxidant supplements on the market," says Dr. Olaizola.
Many fruits and vegetables that contain high levels of pigments provide important health benefits. For astaxanthin, those benefits include strong anti-inflammatory properties, which help to relieve and protect against pain associated with activity and conditions such as arthritis, tendonitis and cardiovascular disease. Fitness enthusiasts and competitive athletes have praised the attributes of the product, as it continues to garner interest from health experts across the U.S.
"The benefits that antioxidants offer are becoming better understood all the time," says Laurence Sombardier, Vice President and General Manager of Mera's Kona research and production facility. "They are generally accepted as helping to slow the aging process, prevent cancer, boost the immune system and preserve eye health."
Mera Pharmaceuticals, Inc., based in Kona, Hawaii, is focused on identifying and producing valuable products from the rich, untapped resource of microbial aquatic plants. Long recognized for their potential medical and nutritional value, these plants have been largely ignored because of the virtual impossibility of growing them at commercial scale. Mera is able to produce a large number of species at scale reliably, efficiently and at high quality.
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