Fish oil is one of the most popular supplements sold in the market today. One of the reasons why sales are increasing is due the aura fish oils have. The picture on a typical fish oil supplement is of a fresh fish that has just been caught. The truth, however, is slightly different.
HOW ARE FISH OIL MADE
The process of making fish into fish oil is a lengthy one. Usually it consists of denaturating the proteins, press the oil from the protein. In fatty fish, the fat is in the protein, while in lean fish the liver contains most of the fish oils. This denaturation of protein consist of heating the flesh to up to 200 degrees for up to 30 minutes. The oil is then bleached (bleaching clays), deodorized (injecting hot steam in the oil) and sometimes purified (activated charcoal). To increase the concentration of a supplement, processes such as fractionation and concentration are used and consist of extensive heating. Techniques such as supercritical Fluid (SFC) involves increasing pressure and temperature above their critical point.
The diagram below shows in brief how fish oils are made, it considers 10 stages.
