Pure Muscle Powder – MX Green Lipped Mussel

Sourced from the Marlborough Sounds (New Zealand) 
using a special vacuum flash drying process to ensure optimal quality...

There are many green lipped muscle supplements available on the market, but we believe we source the most pure and quality mussels currently 

Here, you will learn more about what separates our product from the vast majority being sold on the market today.available.

A special emphasis has been placed on ensuring low drying temperatures and short residence times to optimise the green lipped mussel powder quality. (We will show you how this process works later).

Back To Nature With Your Nutrition – The Miracles Of The Ocean...

In many ancient natural health practices around the world, certain plants and animals have been found to contain bioactive health-giving nutrients.

Here are some of the foods that come from the ocean, which are known for their health-giving factors:

Sea cucumbers, shark fin, oysters from the sea; tripe, snake - oatmeal, ginseng, and even certain aloe from sea plants. Many of these are reputed aphrodisiacs which show tissue-building properties, accompanied by cheerfulness, and a general feeling of wellbeing.

All share one key attribute: they contain what could be considered essential complex carbohydrates - mucopolysaccharides, proteoglycans and collagens.

In the search for dependable sources of bio-active nutrients, Aquaculture scientists identified high levels of natural vitamins, chondroitin sulfates, ionized collagens and Omega 3 marine lipids present in the soft tissues of selected Greenshell Mussels of New Zealand.

This unique discovery in the late 60’s stimulated the mussel aquaculture in the isolated, pristine tidal waters of New Zealand.

The Cradle Of Life – Achieve Optimal Health

Here’s some basic education for you - the Sea covers three-fourths of Earth’s surface, and contains 80% of the planet’s biomass.

Aquatic plant communities supply most of the oxygen in our atmosphere!

Because sea life is so abundant, and because life is believed to have begun there, the sea is called “The Cradle of Life.”

The tissues of the human body are constantly moistened by a briny solution thought to be of about the same salinity as the primordial sea from which life emerged. In fact, Dr. Arthur Hayes claims we are miniature oceans encased in skin...

In 1995, Aquaculture set up the En’Zaq Aquaculture Ltd processing factory in Marlborough, New Zealand, and developed the low-heat one-step drying system called the En'Zaq® Process, which avoids having to cook and handle the mussels as competitors do. (The source of Maxalife’s Green lipped mussel powder).

A high level of MPS and polyunsaturated Omega 3 marine lipids are the direct result of this unique technology.

Discover the Most Pure Source Currently Available...

Maxalife Green lipped Mussel is the original Mussel Essence from the Sea. The Cradle of Life and the source of natural bioactive nutrients – for optimal Health!

Our carefully selected and freshly harvested green shell mussel meats (Perna canaliculus) are dried to a powder by the special Process (see below), a one-step, short time, low-heat process (one that optimizes nutritional quality and freshness).

Our mussel powder contains the following bioactive foods (naturally and encapsulated for your enjoyment).

• Marine mucopolysaccharides; Chondroitin Sulfates and ionized collagens
• Multi-vitamins: (A, B complex, D & E)
• Multi-minerals and trace elements from the Sea
• High-quality proteins; (19 essential amino-acids)
• En’ZaqÒ Mussel Omega-3 Polyunsaturated marine lipids

Sourced from the pristine estuaries of Marlborough, New Zealand, our mussel powder provides an ecologically sound, renewable resource of these natural healthful elements from the Sea, "The Cradle of Life."Our product is suitable for all active persons of all ages, providing nutritional support for heart, lungs, joints, muscles and all connective tissues.

A Significant Source Of Muco’s

Our extracted mussel powder is a significant source of marine mucopolysaccharides (Known as Muco’s) MPS,(chondroitins and collagens), sea minerals and trace elements. You will also obtain natural vitamins such as (A, B complex, D, E) and quality Mussel Omega-3 lipids through the consumption of our green lipped mussel powder.

Where We Source Our Green Lipped Mussels From

Maxalife source their mussels from the original New Zealand mussel concentrate farm – established since 1967. The source we use is known as Aquaculture Inc and was formed by Dr Orville Miller and Professor Viktor Loosanhoff from the University of Southern California.

Don’t be fooled by marketing hype and other merchants passing off these special processes as their own. Both of these gentlemen are the original discoverers of the unique properties of Greenshell™ mussels.

Maxalife have ensured our consumers receive the best in every supplement they buy from us. The green lipped mussel we sell incorporates the ORIGINAL En’Zaq® Process, not the shady rip off versions you may come across. This special process uses the one-step, short-time, low heat preparation process to give us the very best health benefiting properties from the powder we deliver.

Maxalife source their green lipped mussels from carefully selected shell stock, near factory and so... processing times to powder are minimal. In fact, we have a cosy relationship with the original and most pure mussel farm. We are very proud to give our consumers the very best.

Factors Affecting Mussel Quality

There are 5 basic main factors affecting the quality of mussel powder: (these principles lie as the fundamental core of whether you are obtaining a quality green lipped mussel product or not).

• The Quality of raw materials used at input...
• A Negative Process known As Enzymatic Degradation...
• Green Lipped Mussel Exposure to air (Known as air degradation)...
• Exposure to excessive heat (Heat exposure will kill off many health >benefiting nutrients)...
• Product contamination through excessive man handling. Not only do we use the best source in the first place (see image below) we make sure all other points above have been taken care of.

Because Maxalife use the En’Zaq® process that has been developed from special technology – we can specifically address the 5 factors above:

• Since we are in close contact with our supplier, we have made sure En’Zaq Aquaculture has done extensive testing on mussel quality versus powder quality. We know they have identified a very distinct correlation. En’Zaq has also done extensive research and testing to identify the specific area (see map above) for producing the best and most consistent quality mussels.
• Maxalife have an exclusive supply contract to ensure mussels are only sourced from this area! We work with one dedicated farmer to ensure our specifications are constantly met. In fact, we pay a high premium for our mussels to achieve this. (This is an area most other producers, suppliers and merchants neglect).
• The En’Zaq® process has a special system to address this issue at a very early stage to STOP the detrimental effects of enzymatic degradation.
• To stop air degradation, we have made sure that contact with air, by either the raw mussels or the extracted powder is minimal. (This is much easier to achieve with an enclosed one step process than with traditional six-step freeze drying methods. (We will show more on this later).
• Our unique green lipped mussel powder is exposed to heat for no longer than 3-5 seconds (long enough to evaporate the moisture, without heating the powder to an excessive temperature for a prolonged period).

To be clear, the product is NEVER touched by human hands from the raw mussel to the finished powder. The very short process time ensures no contamination can occur at any stage of the process. In fact, this is even backed up by the microbiological testing of each batch. En’Zaq® has not had one batch failure in 10 years of using this process.

Test results on the bioactivity of our Mussel Powder are backed up the fact that the En’Zaq® process results in an outstanding product. En’Zaq Aquaculture Ltd is committed to producing the best mussel powder available and is continually researching and evolving the process to ensure this happens.

Traditional Six step process VS The One step formula We use...

Maxalife use the true low temperature process for the manufacture of their green lipped mussel powder.

Typical freeze-dry product brochures claim a low temperature process for “most” of the drying cycle. However, to reduce the moisture content of frozen meats to below 6% (required to prevent microbial growth) the freeze-dry process requires the kibble to be heated at temperatures of up to 80º C for up to 6 hours.

Whilst the En’Zaq® one-step process does utilize high inlet air temperatures, the hot air is acting on a wet product (the product temperature would rarely exceed 37º C and for very short periods, limited to seconds).

Our Maxalife Green Lipped Mussel Powder has a typical moisture analysis of < 5%, ensuring no microbial growth can occur!

The Glue Of Life - The Role of Mucopolysaccharides...

Muco’s – The Glue of Life”

We all know that vitamins, minerals, proteins and essential fatty acids are components of good nutrition. However, it is not common knowledge that mucopolysaccharides – Muco’s, for short – may be an essential carbohydrate for good health.

Muco’s are long carbohydrate chains of sulfated amino sugars found at the roots of the evolutionary tree of all animal life. The amino sugars are a class of compounds that are “diverse and ubiquitous,” having few counterparts in the biological field.

Found in all tissues of multicellular organisms, Muco’s combine with protein or lipids as components of tissues, (to be largely responsible for the form and organization of the human system).

The presence of Muco’s at the surface of the cell and in the gel-like intercellular matrix suggests a biological role, the importance of which is barely foreseen at the present time.

Muco’s play a significant role:

• In the structural integrity of cartilage, bone, and elastic tissue, like skin and Membranes.
• In modulating the rheology (viscosity) of bodily fluids, and...
• Normalizing the bio-exchange of electrolytes, oxygen, and nutrients between the capillaries and discrete cells.

Their importance in cell growth, adhesiveness, and recognition is also widely recognized.

Muco’s are like the nails of a house, small in proportion to the whole, yet necessary to hold the structure together. In fact, Scientists have aptly described them as “The Glue of Life.”

Muco’s for Good Health

Good health depends on the variety and amount of nutrients we provide for our body’s 60 trillion cells.

Muco’s have both a structural and nutritional function, as their ion-exchange properties are involved in the transfer of electrolytes and nutrients through the gel-like intercellular matrix. Their presence at the surfaces of cells facilitates the transfer of nutrients through membranes and helps repel antigens.

Muco’s for Circulation

Muco’s modulate the rheology of the body fluids, including human blood. Certain Muco’s “thin” the blood, actually making the blood more slippery, helping to reduce platelet aggregation and prevent the formation of blood clots. (This is due to their lyophilic nature, that is, their ability to combine with lipids).

Their role in the entire circulatory system is also of major importance. High proportions of Muco’s are found in the young and healthy arterial walls where they cross-link with protein (to form collagen) and account for the strength and elasticity of arteries.

“Muco’s” Preserve the Look and Feel of Youth

Aging is an inevitable process. However, by practicing good nutrition, the quality of life at any age can be improved.

Changes in Muco’s content and character occur throughout the aging process. Muco’s diminish throughout our lives; in fact, the decline is exponential after the first decade of life in the human aorta. The fact that body tissues are so high in Muco’s during young development indicates that they are integral to the growth process and general feeling of fitness.

In the same way that Muco’s maintain flexibility of arteries, they help preserve the elasticity of skin, and aid in retaining moisture. Since skin, hair and nails all contain Muco’s, adding them to the diet may improve the look – as well as the feel – of Good Health!

(Changes in Sulfated Muco’s (SMPS) with Age in Normal Human Aorta.)

Why and When Were Green Lipped Mussels First Promoted

The person who first promoted the Greenshell Mussel as a health food was Dr. Orville Miller (a professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at USC). Dr Miller had particular interest in the carbohydrates found in traditional medicines such as snakes, sharks, and birds’ nests.

In his search for new sources of complex carbohydrates, he identified Greenshell Mussel as having very high levels. In fact, this discovery was the impetus to the mussel farming industry of today.

The carbohydrate levels in mussels can vary considerably from as low as 9% to over 40%. (This variable is rarely controlled by the industry). To guarantee high levels of carbohydrates, one must be able to identify and select suitable raw material before harvest...

The powder made from pricked mussels, such as occurs when it is derived from B-grade cooked meat - always has a reduced level of carbohydrate. (This is because carbohydrate is readily lost with the “cook out water” from the mussel cookers).

Indeed, the commercial preparation of glycogen or animal carbohydrates is done by extracting them from waste cooking waters of shellfish processing lines.

Maintaining a high MPS level in mussel powder involves careful selection of shellstock, so that MPS is present at high levels from the off. You then need to avoid certain cooking operations where cooking waters containing MPS are lost.

Mussel Lipids

In recent years emphasis has been placed on the nature and functionality of the mussel lipids present. These lipids are both very long chained and highly unsaturated. The unusual structure of some of the fatty acids present is believed to give much greater health benefits than Omega 3 deep water fish oils.

These complex lipids are manufactured by the algae on which the mussels feed. Mussels filter out the algae from the seawater and concentrate these fatty acids in their stored lipids. The level of lipid found in mussel powder is around 10%. The natural variation is thus much smaller than what occurs with the MPS.

Mussel lipids, because of their structure, are extremely prone to oxidation. Lipid oxidation produces strong mussel odors in the product and reduces the health benefits of the lipid by breaking up the long chain fatty acids.

Maintaining lipid quality in the final product is principally a function of preventing oxidation. There are two pathways for oxidation: enzymatic and chemical. Some commercial considerations have been given by the industry to reducing chemical oxidation. However, enzyme oxidation is the principal cause of oxidation during processing and for the first few months of storage.

The problem in the industry is that standard mussel processing involves cooking the mussels prior to freezing. The industry does this to open the mussels, but the same process also destroys the lipoxidase enzymes naturally present in the mussel and which cause the oxidation.

Frozen raw mussels have a shelf life of scarcely one week, after which they have very strong flavor and are barely edible. This is one indication that lipid oxidation via the enzyme process is extremely rapid and cannot be prevented unless the lipoxidase enzymes are destroyed.

Unfortunately, Most “raw shucking” processes for extracting meat for powder production are unable to effectively control oxidizing enzymes. Pre-freezing and storage of raw mussel meat, even for short periods, prior to freeze-drying will result in significant oxidation.

Control of the health benefits of Greenshell Mussel Powder thus requires control in the following areas:

• Selection of raw mussels that have significant quantities of MPS present...
• Processing these mussels in such a way (i.e. raw shucking) that the MPS is not lost with cookout water...
• Processing raw mussels in such a way (i.e. very quickly) so that lipoxidase enzymes do not have time to break down the complex lipids present...
• Packaging mussel powder principally by eliminating oxygen ingress so that chemical oxidation is minimised during storage...

In order to optimise mussel powder quality, all of the above quality considerations must be taken into account. The mussels used must contain significant quantities of MPS. A minimum level of 20% is achievable but only if raw material is selected on this basis. (Knowledge of growth patterns of mussels and close contact with mussel farmers is essential to achieve this).

As you’ve probably worked out, the Processing of shellstock should commence as soon as possible after harvesting. And on top of that, they must be processed very quickly after the cell structure of the mussel has been damaged (in order to prevent enzyme oxidation).

Cell damage occurs during mechanical shucking of raw mussels or during freezing. In the (special process) Maxalife use, raw mussels are converted into powder within 30 minutes of shucking. Thus, the processed powder has the lowest peroxide value and the highest lipid quality of all the powders produced.

Because we ensure the raw material quality from the onset, and by using a process design specially selected to address the quality considerations of preventing MPS loss and oxidation, Maxalife can optimize quality and freshness to a level far greater than competitors.

Most other sellers have simply adapted existing processes and drying methods to the manufacture of mussel powder. (Often miss leading potential consumers as their own)

Lipids - Pernaol

Recent worldwide media publicity and decades of scientific studies have excited interest in the special marine lipids from New Zealand’s Greenshell Mussel (Perna canaliculus). Much of this is due to their manifold health benefits when added to the modern diet.

Perna lipids contain essential fatty acids of the Omega-3 family known as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). The process that we use (Here at Maxalife) extracts a high proportion of these active, healthful fatty acids: alpha-linoleic (aLA), eicosopentaenoic (EPA), docohexaenoic (DHA), and eicosotetraenoic (ETA).

Pernaol contains 36% more marine lipids of particular interest — ALA, EPA, DHA, and ETA — than the current commercial products being sold!

The “Good Health” benefits of fish oils and ETA are well understood and accepted worldwide by the nutrition and health food industry.

Pernaol is an exclusive, high-quality New Zealand food product from an environmentally-friendly, reproducible natural source (using modern food technology).

Quality Comparison

Due to the source of green lipped mussels we use, coupled with the special manufacturing process illustrated above – you can see a chart below on how our quality goes way beyond the norm...

The Maxalife Conclusion...

As you can see, we currently sell the best source of green lipped mussel available to man. We take great pride in sourcing the very best ingredients so that we can help our consumers achieve their maximum health potential.