Fish oil: production and molecular distillation of Omega-3s
How fish oil is produced: from netting to molecular distillation of Omega-3s
Fish oil production starts from the depths of the sea and ends up in a small tablet that reaps surprising benefits. Let's dive into this fascinating journey together.
From fishing to raw fish oil
It all starts with tuna, anchovies, sardines, mackerel, and krill that live free in the waters of the sea. After they are caught, they undergo a rapid steam passage that coagulates the proteins and leaks the liquids (water and oil) from the cells.
After that, the fish are mechanically cold pressed to collect the raw oil. And here we are only at the first step of our journey.
Omega-3: multiple molecular distillation
From raw oil to the purest fish oil. It is at this stage that the magic happens: Short Path Distillation is a distillation, working at low pressure and temperature, necessary to remove substances from the raw fish oil that undermine its quality.
The process produces a very pure oil with an Omega-3 concentration of 60-70%.
To obtain our fish oil, we follow all these steps very carefully:
- Deacidification: we remove the free fatty acids that make the oil go rancid.
- ethylesterification (also called ethylation) and concentration-a key step in obtaining high concentrations of EPA and DHA, the most valuable Omega-3s.
- Advanced molecular distillation: we work under vacuum to separate long-chain fatty acids from short-chain fatty acids. So as to obtain fish oils with different concentrations of EPA and DHA.
- Fractionation: we remove saturated fats.
- Urea filtration: we remove saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids so as to increase the concentration of EPA and DHA.
- Decolorization: we remove colored pigments and other oxidation compounds. If necessary, we use activated carbon to remove harmful substances such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
- Deodorization: we run the oil through a steam stream to eliminate odor and taste.
- Addition of vitamin E: We include natural antioxidants as required by law.
After the deacidification step, another fundamental step takes place that deserves a separate discussion: ethylation, which is the transformation of Omega-3 fatty acids from triglycerides (TG) to ethyl esters (EE). Only from ethyl esters (fatty acids bound to ethanol molecules) can we in fact obtain an oil rich in EPA and DHA, the components directly expendable by our bodies.
"Special" fish oil supplements
Yes, we know, choosing the right supplement is not easy-you find yourself navigating through a magnum sea of products. There are indeed many fish oil supplements on the market, and not all of them are of premium quality.
Our Meaquor 1000 and Omegor Vitality are special because they have unique characteristics. We'll tell you about them now.
Meaquor 1000 is similar to drugs such as Eskim, Seacor or Esapent. It is a supplement with a high concentration of EPA and DHA that can also be used as an alternative to nonreimbursable medications, thus offering savings. Of course, only your doctor can decide if this is a viable alternative to any prescribed medications.
Omegor Vitality is a fish oil-based supplement that undergoes an extra production step (re-esterification using an enzymatic method) that brings the Omega3 fatty acids back into the triglyceride (TG) form, ensuring better absorption of the active ingredients and greater stability and digestibility of the product.
This process requires costs 50% to 80% higher than products with Omega-3 in EE form, but it results in a supplement with 90% triglycerides, so very similar to natural fish oil, which contains 97-98%. That's what makes it so special.
Remember: we are special because you are special.
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