Can Fish Waste Make Healthy Omega-3 Oil?
Production and Refinement of Omega-3 Rich Oils from Processing By-Products of Farmed Fish Species
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Scientists turned fish scraps (heads, guts) from fish farms into oil, cleaned it up with heat and chemicals, and found it still had lots of healthy omega-3s like in cod liver oil—but it also made some smelly, potentially harmful chemicals.
Surprising Findings
Deodorization increased toxic aldehydes while failing to fully eliminate fishy odors.
Common belief: refining removes bad smells and toxins. This study shows it can create new toxins and still leave behind off-odors—defying the assumption that 'cleaner' means 'safer'.
Practical Takeaways
If you buy fish oil, look for brands that use cold-processing or enzymatic refining instead of high-heat deodorization.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Scientists turned fish scraps (heads, guts) from fish farms into oil, cleaned it up with heat and chemicals, and found it still had lots of healthy omega-3s like in cod liver oil—but it also made some smelly, potentially harmful chemicals.
Surprising Findings
Deodorization increased toxic aldehydes while failing to fully eliminate fishy odors.
Common belief: refining removes bad smells and toxins. This study shows it can create new toxins and still leave behind off-odors—defying the assumption that 'cleaner' means 'safer'.
Practical Takeaways
If you buy fish oil, look for brands that use cold-processing or enzymatic refining instead of high-heat deodorization.
Publication
Journal
Foods
Year
2019
Authors
Vida Šimat, Jelena Vlahović, Barbara Soldo, Danijela Skroza, I. Ljubenkov, Ivana Generalić Mekinić
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Claims (6)
Cleaning fish oil with heat and chemicals makes it last longer without going rancid, even though it loses some natural antioxidants.
Cleaning fish oil with steam makes some bad smells worse in some oils, and doesn’t get rid of all the fishy odor.
Different fish scraps make oils with different smells after cleaning — tuna oil smells one way, seabass smells another, because they have different fats.
Turning fish waste into oil and cleaning it with chemicals makes it cleaner and safer to use, without losing the healthy fats.
Oil made from tuna scraps has just as much of the healthy omega-3 fats as expensive cod liver oil.