Risk of Heavy Metal Contamination in Krill Oils

Abstract

Different omega-3 sources have been widely used as a portion of supplementary food in recent years. One of the popular sources of omega-3 fatty acids is krill oil. It is readily available and commonly being used in developed countries. Thus, the aim of the current study was to examine the contents of commercially available krill oils sold in the markets. For this purpose, the free-fatty acid levels, peroxide contents, and the presence of some heavy metals were determined for commercially available krill oils. A total of 11 different krill oil brands randomly selected and purchased from different pharmacies. The chemical analysis was carried out at a food analysis laboratory that has been accredited by the Turkish Accreditation Agency. Our results indicated that the fatty acid contents of the commercial krill oils tested varied to quite an extent, but within the tolerable limits in 10 out of 11 samples. The peroxide content of the samples differed from 10 to 30 meq O2/kg-oil. The mercury (0.1 mg/kg) and cadmium (1.0 mg/kg) levels were up to the standard limits set by Codex Alimentarius for food supplements. On the other hand, all products tested contained more than the tolerable limits of lead (0.08 mg/kg), and only 1 sample had arsenic levels measured below acceptable limits (0.1 mg/kg). As a result, none of the krill oil collected through random sampling could provide the required European Union standards. It suggests that the manufacturers overlooked some issues while producing krill oils. This may pose a potential threat to public health in the long term.