Oxidative Quality Attributes of Commercially AvailableFish Oils in India: A Novel Assessment

Abstract

Fish oil supplements are widely accepted functional foods, valued for their array of health benefits, largely due to their high levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. However, their high degree of unsaturation renders them prone to oxidation, which can make them unsuitable for dietary use. Accordingly, this study examined the oxidative quality attributes of twelve fish oil supplements procured from the Cochin local market and an e-commerce platform. The acid value, peroxide value, and anisidine value were measured according to ISO 660, ISO 3960, and ISO 6885, respectively, and the TOTOX value was calculated. All the tested samples complied with the acid value regulatory limit of 3 mg KOH/g. About 41.7% of the samples exceeded the recommended peroxide value of 5 meq O₂/kg fat, 8.3% exceeded the anisidine value of 20, and 16.7% of the fish oil samples recorded TOTOX values higher than the regulatory limit of 26. The results underline that utmost care should be taken during processing, packaging, transportation, and storage to minimise oxidative effects on fish oil. Further, heightened regulatory surveillance and inspection of fish oil supplements in the market are desirable.