Understanding DHA in Children’s Foods: From Algal DHA to Fruit and Botanical Ingredients

When looking at foods formulated specifically for children, the ingredient list can tell an interesting story about where different nutrients and food ingredients come from.

One example is DHA, or docosahexaenoic acid. DHA belongs to the omega-3 family of fatty acids and can be obtained from several dietary sources. While DHA is commonly associated with fish and seafood, food science has also established microalgae as a source of DHA.

This alternative source has made algal DHA an interesting ingredient for use across different food formulations.

So, what exactly is DHA? Where does algal DHA come from? And how does it fit alongside ingredients such as vitamin C, bilberry, sea buckthorn, carrot, açaí, rosehip and calendula in a food formulated for children?

What Is DHA?

DHA stands for docosahexaenoic acid, a long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid.

Scientific literature examining DHA intake in children identifies fish and seafood among its dietary sources, while DHA can also be incorporated into other foods through DHA-containing ingredients. Research specifically examining children also demonstrates why it is important to distinguish basic information about DHA and its dietary sources from claims about particular functional outcomes. [1]

This distinction is particularly important when discussing DHA as an ingredient in a food intended for children.

Here, the relevant questions are not what DHA promises to do, but rather:

What is DHA? Where does it come from? How much does the food contain? And what other ingredients are included alongside it?

Key Facts About DHA

Here are some useful facts for understanding DHA as a food ingredient:

1. DHA is one of the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids

DHA is short for docosahexaenoic acid. Chemically, it is a 22-carbon polyunsaturated fatty acid containing six double bonds and belongs to the omega-3 family of fatty acids. [1]

2. DHA can come from marine food sources

Fish and seafood are commonly recognised dietary sources of DHA. However, they are not the only way DHA can enter the food supply. [1]

3. Microalgae can produce DHA

Certain microalgae are capable of producing and accumulating long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, including DHA. This has led to extensive research into microalgae as an alternative raw material for DHA production. [2]

4. Algal DHA provides a non-fish ingredient source

Because DHA can be obtained directly from cultivated microalgae, algal ingredients provide food manufacturers with an alternative to sourcing DHA from fish.

Scientific reviews have investigated the cultivation and processing of DHA-producing microalgae and their potential use as raw materials for food applications. [2]

5. The amount of DHA in a finished food depends on its formulation

The fact that a food contains algal DHA does not tell consumers how much DHA it provides.

That information needs to come from the product's declared nutrition information.

This becomes particularly relevant when looking at a product such as Wealthy Health Smart Junior Ocuberry Plus+, where the DHA content is specifically quantified.

From Microalgae to DHA

Microalgae are microscopic organisms found in aquatic environments, and certain species can produce and accumulate long-chain omega-3 fatty acids.

Scientific reviews describe microalgae as an alternative raw material for producing DHA for food applications. Research into microalgal DHA has examined different species, cultivation techniques and processing approaches used to obtain DHA-rich ingredients. [2]

This provides the scientific background for understanding the DHA source used in Wealthy Health Smart Junior Ocuberry Plus+ Superfood.

Rather than listing fish-derived DHA, Smart Junior lists:

DHA Algal Powder (Soy) as its DHA-containing ingredient.

And unlike several of the botanical ingredients in the formula, the amount of DHA in the finished food is specifically declared.

What Is Wealthy Health Smart Junior Ocuberry Plus+?

Wealthy Health Smart Junior Ocuberry Plus+ Superfood is a berry-flavoured chewable food formulated for children aged 5 years and over.

Its formulation combines algal DHA and vitamin C with a selection of fruit, vegetable and botanical ingredients:

• Bilberry powder

• Sea buckthorn powder

• Carrot powder

• Açaí berry

• Rosehip whole-fruit powder

• Calendula flower

  
  

The product comes in a chewable format, with one chew forming the suggested daily serving.

Each pack contains 90 chewable bites weighing 90 g in total, giving an approximate weight of 1 g per chew.

How Much DHA and Vitamin C Does Smart Junior Contain?

Two nutrients have specific quantities declared in the supplied product information:

Nutrient	Per 100 g	Approx. per 1 g chew
DHA	3,330 mg	33.3 mg
Vitamin C	1,670 mg	16.7 mg

Because the 90 g pack contains 90 chews, each chew weighs approximately 1 g.

What Else Is in Smart Junior Ocuberry Plus+?

DHA is the lead ingredient from a scientific discussion perspective, but it isn't the only noteworthy part of the formulation.

Smart Junior combines it with vitamin C and six fruit, vegetable and botanical ingredients.

Vitamin C

Smart Junior contains vitamin C in the form of ascorbic acid.

Vitamin C is an essential water-soluble micronutrient that humans obtain through dietary sources. [3]

For Smart Junior, however, we do not need to make a functional claim about vitamin C to provide useful information.

What we can state directly from the supplied product information is its amount:

1,670 mg vitamin C per 100 g, equivalent to approximately 16.7 mg per 1 g chew.

Bilberry Powder

Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) is a dark blue-purple berry.

One of the most extensively characterised groups of compounds naturally occurring in bilberry is anthocyanins, a class of plant pigments associated with red, blue and purple colours.

Analytical research using high-performance liquid chromatography has identified multiple anthocyanins in bilberry fruit. [4]

Smart Junior Ocuberry Plus+ contains bilberry powder.

The amount of bilberry powder and the anthocyanin content of the finished chew have not been supplied, so no specific quantity should be assumed.

Sea Buckthorn Powder

Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) produces distinctive yellow-orange berries.

Food-science research has documented a diverse natural composition in sea buckthorn, including carotenoids, polyphenols and lipids. [5]

Smart Junior includes sea buckthorn powder in its formulation.

The amount of sea buckthorn powder and its individual naturally occurring compounds are not separately declared in the supplied product information.

Carrot Powder

Carrot (Daucus carota) is another plant ingredient in Smart Junior.

Orange carrots are well known in food science for their naturally occurring carotenoid pigments, including α-carotene and β-carotene. Scientific reviews have characterised carotenoids among the principal phytochemicals occurring in carrots. [6]

Smart Junior includes carrot powder.

No individual quantity of carrot powder or carotenoids is declared for the finished chew.

Açaí Berry

Açaí is a dark purple fruit obtained from palms of the Euterpe genus.

Analytical research has identified numerous polyphenolic compounds in açaí, including naturally occurring anthocyanins. [7]

Smart Junior Ocuberry Plus+ lists açaí berry among its ingredients.

Its individual amount and anthocyanin content are not separately declared.

Rosehip Whole-Fruit Powder

Rosehips are the fruits produced by plants belonging to the Rosa genus.

Food-composition research has identified naturally occurring constituents including ascorbic acid, carotenoids and flavonoids in rosehip material, although the composition can vary depending on species, fruit material and processing. [8]

Smart Junior specifically contains rosehip whole-fruit powder.

The wording is worth noting because it identifies the form of the rosehip ingredient used in the formulation.

Calendula Flower

The formulation also contains calendula flower.

Phytochemical studies of Calendula species have identified naturally occurring classes of compounds including carotenoids and flavonoids. [9]

Smart Junior lists calendula flower as an ingredient but does not declare an individual amount or concentration of these compounds.

Algal DHA + Vitamin C + Plant Ingredients in One Chew

Looking at the formula as a whole makes the product easier to understand.

Smart Junior Ocuberry Plus+ combines:

Algal DHA — approximately 33.3 mg per chew

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) — approximately 16.7 mg per chew

with:

Bilberry + Sea Buckthorn + Carrot + Açaí + Rosehip + Calendula

The DHA and vitamin C amounts are declared through the supplied nutrition information.

The other ingredients are declared through the ingredient list, but their individual quantities are not provided.

That distinction is important when communicating factual information about the product.

Full Ingredient List

The complete ingredient list for Smart Junior Ocuberry Plus+ is:

Mannitol, DHA Algal Powder (Soy), Sorbitol, Dextrose Monohydrate, Bilberry Powder, Sea Buckthorn Powder, Carrot Powder, Acai Berry, Bulking Agent (Microcrystalline Cellulose), Rosehip Whole-Fruit Powder, Flavour, Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), Calendula Flower, Emulsifier (Magnesium Salts of Fatty Acids [Magnesium Stearate]), Flavour, Acidity Regulator (Citric Acid), Anti-Caking Agent (Silicon Dioxide), Sweetener (Sucralose).

References

[1] Dietary intake of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in children – a workshop report. PubMed PMID: 20187993.

[2] Microalgae as an emerging alternative raw material of docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid – a review. PubMed PMID: 40188418.

[3] Carr AC, Maggini S. Vitamin C and Immune Function. Nutrients. 2017;9(11):1211.

[4] High performance liquid chromatography analysis of anthocyanins in bilberries (Vaccinium myrtillus L.), blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum L.), and corresponding juices. PubMed PMID: 22394068.

[5] Zhu P, Ren Y, Wei C, et al. Compounds from sea buckthorn and their application in food: A review. Food Chemistry. 2025;476:143428.

[6] Ahmad T, Cawood M, Iqbal Q, et al. Phytochemicals in Daucus carota and Their Health Benefits—Review Article. Foods. 2019;8(9):424.

[7] Yamaguchi KKL, Pereira LFR, Lamarão CV, Lima ES, da Veiga-Junior VF. Amazon acai: chemistry and biological activities: a review. Food Chemistry. 2015;179:137–151.

[8] Composition and content of biologically active substances in rose hips. PubMed PMID: 23530442.

[9] Muley BP, Khadabadi SS, Banarase NB. A review on phytochemistry and ethnopharmacological aspects of genus Calendula. Pharmacognosy Reviews.