Healthy Food Material "Squalene" Discovered from Shark Liver (1906)
In 1906, Dr. Mitsumaru Tsujimoto discovered that the liver of "Kuroko-zame," a kind of deep sea shark in Japanese waters, contained a large amount of unsaturated hydrocarbon, at the Government Chemical Industrial Research Institute, Tokyo. The substance was named "Squalene" in later years. As a result of further research, it was revealed that human sebum contained a small amount of squalene. At present, it is globally used in cosmetics and health foods as a constituent that supports beauty care and health.