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Updated: May 27, 2026

NMR Spectroscopy as a Robust Tool for the Rapid Evaluation of the Lipid Profile of Fish Oil Supplements
Published on: May 1, 2017
Varying quality of fish oil capsules: fatty acids and tocopherol
Mukhtiar Ahmed1, Ali A Moazzami, Roger Andersson
1Department of Food Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
Objectives:
To assess the content and composition of fatty acids and tocopherols in commercially available oil capsules, and to assay thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) as a marker of oxidation in these oils.
Methods:
Fish and seal oil capsules were analyzed for their contents of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (DPA, EPA, and DHA), tocopherols, and malondialdehyde.
Results:
Large variations were found in the levels of EPA (6.5-40.9%), and DHA (8.1-26.4%), α-tocopherol (117-10282 μg/g), γ-tocopherol (406-2352 μg/g) and δ-tocopherol (127-978 μg/g). The level of malondialdehyde was very low in all capsules.
Conclusion:
The tested samples of oil capsules showed large variation in quality with respect to long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and tocopherols. The low levels of malondialdehyde indicated a successful oxidation protection strategy.
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