Abstract
We provide new fish oil product results to assist industry in Australia and New Zealand and, ultimately, consumers in understanding the high product quality assurance protocols in place, together with the high product quality that has been determined by both industry and independent laboratories. Fish oil capsule products common to Australia and New Zealand were purchased in May 2016 in Richmond, Victoria, Australia. Products were from two groups; five standard fish oil products and five fish oil concentrates. Noting Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) requirement for use of standard methods, for all analyses undertaken a laboratory was selected that met the TGA criteria, including with accreditation. Total n-3 content exceeded the label-claimed content for all 10 products, with supplements containing on average 124% of the claimed content (range 115%–136%); eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid (EPA + DHA) content averaged 109% of the label claim (range 99%–119%). All 10 products (100%) similarly met the international recommended peroxide value (PV) level. Anisidine value (pAV) met the international recommended level for eight of the 10 products, with two products known to contain flavorings that interfere with the pAV test. When accredited laboratories and standard protocols are used, Australian and New Zealand fish oil products have been shown to clearly meet their label claims for EPA + DHA content, and are not oxidized.
Highlights
The health benefits of omega-3 long-chain (≥C20 ) polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA, termed LC omega-3 or more generally n-3 oils by some user groups) were first documented over three decades ago
Danish researchers reported that Greenland Eskimos had lower incidence of heart disease than other ethnic groups in spite of their high fat diet that was rich in marine mammal blubber [1]
In excess of 30,000 scientific papers have been published examining the health benefits of LC omega-3 oils, with around 80% of the studies showing numerous health benefits are associated with consumption of these key nutrients [3]
Summary
The health benefits of omega-3 long-chain (≥C20 ) polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA, termed LC omega-3 or more generally n-3 oils by some user groups) were first documented over three decades ago. The main LC omega-3 oils attributed to cause this health benefit were eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3). We use the term LC omega-3 in this paper in consideration of both fatty acids, and that of docosapentaenoic acid (DPA, 22:5n-3), which is a minor component of fish and fish oils. In excess of 30,000 scientific papers have been published examining the health benefits of LC omega-3 oils, with around 80% of the studies showing numerous health benefits are associated with consumption of these key nutrients [3]. Most of these do not demonstrate clear benefits, and this is generally attributed to the complexity of nutritional research and other factors [4], while only a few show negative results
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