Table 1. List of retail fish oils tested. Adj, adjusted for labelled n-3 PUFA content to reflect the oxidation products per 300 mg combined EPA + DHA; AV, anisidine value; BBD, time to best before date as per label; PV, peroxide value; RRP, recommended retail price in US dollars per gram of fish oil (equivalent to one capsule in most cases); Totox, total oxidation value. Note: the country of origin reflects the country claimed on the product packaging or by a company representative. It reflects the site of encapsulation or packaging; the vast majority of oils were sourced from South American deep sea fish. International guidelines recommend values for PV, AV, and Totox of <5 meq/l, <20, and <26, respectively.
RRP | BBD | Oil mass per capsule | EPA + DHA per capsule | PV | Adj PV | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Code | Country of origin | (US$) | (days) | Actual (g) | % label | Label (mg) | Actual (mg) | (meq/l) | AV | Totox | (meq/l) | Adj AV | Adj Totox |
1 | Australia | 0.14 | 318 | 1.064 | 106.4 | 300 | 181 | 5.43 | 12.43 | 23.29 | 5.43 | 12.43 | 23.29 |
2 | Australia/NZL | 0.11 | 321 | 1.000 | 100.0 | 300 | 173 | 6.52 | 3.14 | 16.17 | 6.52 | 3.14 | 16.17 |
3 | NZL | 0.14 | 553 | 1.009 | 100.9 | 300 | 181 | 8.11 | 37.22 | 53.43 | 8.11 | 37.22 | 53.43 |
4 | NZL | 0.10 | 561 | 1.000 | 100.0 | 300 | 174 | 7.30 | 4.37 | 18.97 | 7.30 | 4.37 | 18.97 |
5 | NZL | 0.15 | 349 | 1.096 | 109.6 | 300 | 170 | 1.71 | 19.53 | 22.95 | 1.71 | 19.53 | 22.95 |
6 | Australia | 0.13 | 438 | 1.094 | 109.4 | 300 | 185 | 9.08 | 13.72 | 31.88 | 9.08 | 13.72 | 31.88 |
7 | NZL | 0.06 | 765 | 0.985 | 98.5 | 300 | 174 | 5.82 | 5.64 | 17.29 | 5.82 | 5.64 | 17.29 |
8 | Australia | 0.40 | 495 | 1.167 | 97.3 | 694 | 495 | 6.85 | 30.17 | 43.87 | 2.96 | 13.04 | 18.96 |
9 | Australia | 0.11 | 587 | 1.094 | 109.4 | 300 | 182 | 1.09 | 24.54 | 26.72 | 1.09 | 24.54 | 26.72 |
10 | Australia | 0.12 | 800 | 1.002 | 100.2 | 300 | 175 | 8.00 | 6.11 | 22.12 | 8.00 | 6.11 | 22.12 |
11 | NZL | 0.07 | 969 | 1.001 | 100.1 | 300 | 146 | 5.78 | 6.79 | 18.34 | 5.78 | 6.79 | 18.34 |
12 | Norway | 0.50 | 739 | 1.048 | 104.8 | 550 | 176 | 11.65 | 21.23 | 44.53 | 6.35 | 11.58 | 24.29 |
13 | Australia | 0.10 | 404 | 1.003 | 100.3 | 300 | 176 | 9.56 | 5.81 | 24.93 | 9.56 | 5.81 | 24.93 |
14 | Australia | 0.11 | 587 | 1.500 | 100.0 | 450 | 274 | 7.88 | 3.25 | 19.00 | 5.25 | 2.16 | 12.67 |
15 | Canada | 0.50 | 249 | 1.022 | 102.2 | 500 | 458 | 14.06 | 5.17 | 33.28 | 8.43 | 3.10 | 19.97 |
16 | NZL | 0.10 | 341 | 1.142 | 114.2 | 450 | 247 | 6.07 | 31.72 | 43.85 | 4.04 | 21.15 | 29.24 |
17 | Australia | 0.44 | 310 | 1.032 | 103.2 | 600 | 423 | 12.66 | 28.10 | 53.42 | 6.33 | 14.05 | 26.71 |
18 | NZL | 0.05 | 796 | 0.995 | 99.5 | 300 | 170 | 6.98 | 4.76 | 18.73 | 6.98 | 4.76 | 18.73 |
19 | NZL | 0.07 | 614 | 1.508 | 100.6 | 450 | 294 | 8.70 | 40.34 | 57.75 | 5.80 | 26.89 | 38.50 |
20 | Australia | 0.10 | 766 | 1.513 | 100.9 | 450 | 243 | 9.54 | 4.26 | 23.34 | 6.36 | 2.84 | 15.56 |
21 | Australia | 0.11 | 857 | 0.992 | 99.2 | 300 | 169 | 5.67 | 6.04 | 17.38 | 5.67 | 6.04 | 17.38 |
22 | NZL | 0.11 | 521 | 1.007 | 100.7 | 300 | 167 | 11.05 | 8.92 | 31.03 | 11.05 | 8.92 | 31.03 |
23 | India | 0.74 | 460 | 0.486 | 97.2 | 275 | 170 | 18.33 | 9.28 | 45.93 | 19.99 | 10.12 | 50.11 |
24 | Australia | 0.51 | 368 | 1.136 | 113.6 | 520 | 566 | 4.32 | 14.91 | 23.54 | 2.49 | 8.60 | 13.58 |
25 | Australia | 0.34 | 156 | 1.037 | 100.1 | 521 | 447 | 15.59 | 4.91 | 36.09 | 8.98 | 2.83 | 20.78 |
26 | Australia | 0.35 | 187 | 1.347 | 112.2 | 600 | 228 | 19.82 | 32.36 | 72.01 | 9.91 | 16.18 | 36.00 |
27 | Norway, bottled in NZL | 0.07 | 826 | 1.000 | 100.0 | 300 | 156 | 5.02 | 8.87 | 18.90 | 5.02 | 8.87 | 18.90 |
28 | NZL | 0.23 | 732 | 0.996 | 99.6 | 300 | 431 | 4.97 | 8.69 | 18.64 | 4.97 | 8.69 | 18.64 |
29 | USA | 0.51 | 793 | 1.190 | 99.2 | 600 | 523 | 7.47 | 8.94 | 23.89 | 3.74 | 4.47 | 11.94 |
30 | NZL | 0.22 | 900 | 1.514 | 100.9 | 900 | 806 | 4.97 | 72.63 | 82.58 | 1.66 | 24.21 | 27.53 |
31 | USA | 0.42 | 641 | 1.214 | 101.2 | 191 | 230 | 7.50 | 4.51 | 19.52 | 11.78 | 7.09 | 30.66 |
32 | NZL | 0.54 | 887 | 0.956 | 95.6 | 425 | 348 | 33.34 | 2.98 | 69.67 | 23.54 | 2.10 | 49.18 |
33 | Australia/NZL | 0.28 | 768 | 1.022 | 98.8 | 600 | ? | 11.61 | 17.34 | 40.55 | 5.80 | 8.67 | 20.28 |
34 | Australia/NZL | 0.24 | 367 | 1.543 | 99.4 | 900 | ? | 8.72 | 13.01 | 30.46 | 2.91 | 4.34 | 10.15 |
35 | Norway | 0.77 | 611 | 1.048 | 104.8 | 550 | ? | 12.75 | 17.15 | 42.65 | 6.96 | 9.35 | 23.26 |
36 | NZL | 0.10 | 273 | 1.142 | 114.2 | 300 | ? | 3.33 | 18.65 | 25.32 | 3.33 | 18.65 | 25.32 |