How is Fish Oil made?

I got this great question from David:  "where does the fish oil come from? from where in/on the fish? what kind of fish?"

I really was not sure, so I did a little research and this is what I found.  The fish oil is processed from whole fish and follows the following steps to separate the three major parts of the fish; fat-free dry solids, fats and water.

fish meal & oil processing plant in Iceland

1. raw fish enters the processing plant and is hashed (cut into pieces) and cooked by steam.
2. The cooked mass of fish is then pressed or centrifuged to separate the fat-free dry solids and the liquid (oil & water).
3. The fat-free dry solids are further processed into fish meal. Fish meal is commonly used in animal feed.
4. The liquid (oil & water) which is called press liquor is further processed to separate the oil and water.
5. The water that is separated from the oil also has solids in it and is added back into the fish meal.
6. The next stages of oil processing is calling polishing.  This is where impurities are removed via hot water.
7. The final stage of oil processing involves adding anti-oxidants before the oil is placed in stainless steel storage containers.

Check out this link for more detailed description of the processing.  www.fao.org

Sardines, anchovies, herring, mackerel, salmon and tuna are used most for human consumption as well as other Pelagic species.  Pelagic fish live near the surface of the water as opposed to the bottom of the ocean floor.   They can generally be found anywhere from the surface to 1,000 meters (547 fathoms) deep.

If you have any other questions please send me an email.

Tack,
Mike Reid
 

Comments

[Collin Fitz-Gerald]

very nice research! that is exactly what i needed to know, but i want to take this in a different direction and ask if there are any other fresh-water fish that can be used to produce fish oil?

[Mike Reid]

The problem with all fish is that most of the water in the world is polluted, some say even 99% of the water is polluted. Since fish live in the water they become toxic and where are the toxins stored? In the fat! It is the double edge sword of fish oil, on one hand you have the omega-3 fats that are really good for but very harmful toxins on the other!

But to answer your question, I do not know of any other fresh water fish that are used to produce fish oil.

Be Well,
Mike Reid

[Loming]

Is it a good idea to consume the fat under the fish skin or in the head? Does it give you the omega-3 like the fish oil?

[Vivek]

That was exactly what I needed but i had a question do all fish have Omega 3?

[Mike Reid]

Yes, all fish has omega-3 fats.

Did you know that grass fed beef has much higher levels of Omega-3 fats then conventionally raised beef.

Mike Reid

[Margaret]

Thanks a whole lot!!! I am using this for a debate at my school!!! Told me just what I wanted to know... Thanks!

[paul]

The problem with all fish is that most of the water in the world is polluted, some say even 99% of the water is polluted. Since fish live in the water they become toxic and where are the toxins stored? In the fat! It is the double edge sword of fish oil, on one hand you have the omega-3 fats that are really good for but very harmful toxins on the other!

But to answer your question, I do not know of any other fresh water fish that are used to produce fish oil.

no way 99 percent.. maybe 99 percent in urban areas though!! like anywhere near the hudson lol

Be Well,
Mike Reid

[vivian]

The reason grass-fed beef has a much higher level of omega-3 is because the omega-3 comes from the grass. In contrast, conventionally-fed beef are usually fed corn, which has high omega-6 (which we humans in North America do not need more of) but low omega-3.

[Sebastian Mendryk]

Do you know that all animal proteins are actually toxic?

[Celeste Yarnall]

The best source of an Omega-3 marine lipid that I have found comes from the New Zealand Greenlip mussels that have a unique array of essential fatty acids (PUFA’s) not found in any other life form to any measurable degree. The coastal Maori’s have been famous for about 1000 years for not having inflammatory diseases such as Arthritis to the degree that others have... the secret was discovered to be their consumption of raw greenlip mussels which they believed had magical properties. It turned out they were absolutely right. The GLM have approximately 18 omega 3’s vs the two in fish oils (EPA/DHA). One of which is called ETA and it is the very Omega 3 that interferes with both the COX and LOX inflammatory pain pathways. This oil is therefore 200 times more effective an anti-inflammatory than fish oil. One company makes a cold extracted organic product from their own GLM that they harvest at 18 months and encapsulate within 4 hours of the harvest. I have personally taken the product for two years and can attest to the fact that it has proven in my practice and in my case to be the most effective product in this category. That product is Moxxor and you can here my video presentation at http://www.MoxxArt.com
Celeste Yarnall, PhD

[Celeste Yarnall]

The best source of an Omega-3 marine lipid that I have found comes from the New Zealand Greenlip mussels that have a unique array of essential fatty acids (PUFA’s) not found in any other life form to any measurable degree. The coastal Maori’s have been famous for about 1000 years for not having inflammatory diseases such as Arthritis to the degree that others have... the secret was discovered to be their consumption of raw greenlip mussels which they believed had magical properties. It turned out they were absolutely right. The GLM have approximately 18 omega 3’s vs the two in fish oils (EPA/DHA). One of which is called ETA and it is the very Omega 3 that interferes with both the COX and LOX inflammatory pain pathways. This oil is therefore 200 times more effective an anti-inflammatory than fish oil. One company makes a cold extracted organic product from their own GLM that they harvest at 18 months and encapsulate within 4 hours of the harvest. I have personally taken the product for two years and can attest to the fact that it has proven in my practice and in my case to be the most effective product in this category. That product is Moxxor and you can hear my video presentation at http://www.MoxxArt.com
Celeste Yarnall, PhD

[Celeste Yarnall]

I also wanted to add that the GLM are aquafarmed wild in the pristine waters of New Zealand’s Marlborough Sounds region. They are harvested by vessils that do not pollute this pristine waterway, located between the North and south Island of NZ. The water is perfectly pure and every batch of Moxxor is assayed to be free of contaminants. The water is tested every 24 hours by a NZ government official for purity. there are no seafood or shellfish allergies possible as the product contains no protein, carbohydrate or salt. The greenlip mussels only eat phytoplancton which is high in carotenoids and thus the GLM oil is a potent antioxidant. So here you have the highest source of Omega 3 without any of the toxiicity you mention above and it is also as close to being a raw food as you can get! It has no fillers or excipients of any kind and contains only 3 ingredients, the mussel oil, organic cold pressed white grape seed husk extract as a natural preservative and superfood antioxidant and kiwifruit seed oil which provides all 8 natural forms of vitamin E including tocatrienols. The capsule is made from grass fed bovine gelatin and has a 2 year unrefrigerated shelf life. Many companies would like to use this product instead of the standard fish oil but Moxxor won’t sell it to them..it can only be acquired encapsulated with Moxxor’s proprietary blend and proprietary method. They do not advertise so you won’t find it easily. It is also wonderful for animals who find the tiny capsules very easy to take. No fish burb, no blood thinning and safe with medications. 60 capsules per bottle. $50 + shipping and tax on auto ship as a preferred customer which can be cancelled anytime and is delivered fresh to your door monthly. Just click ‘shop now’ at http://www.MoxxArt.com now to try it..and why not with a 90 day money back guarantee.

[Celeste Yarnall]

The best source of an Omega-3 marine lipid that I have found comes from the New Zealand Greenlip mussels that have a unique array of essential fatty acids (PUFA’s) not found in any other life form to any measurable degree. The coastal Maori’s have been famous for about 1000 years for not having inflammatory diseases such as Arthritis to the degree that others have... the secret was discovered to be their consumption of raw greenlip mussels which they believed had magical properties. It turned out they were absolutely right. The GLM have approximately 18 omega 3’s vs the two in fish oils (EPA/DHA). One of which is called ETA and it is the very Omega 3 that interferes with both the COX and LOX inflammatory pain pathways. This oil is therefore 200 times more effective an anti-inflammatory than fish oil. One company makes a cold extracted organic product from their own GLM that they harvest at 18 months and encapsulate within 4 hours of the harvest. I have personally taken the product for two years and can attest to the fact that it has proven in my practice and in my case to be the most effective product in this category. That product is Moxxor and you can here my video presentation at http://www.MoxxArt.com
Celeste Yarnall, PhD

[Jenny]

I am trying to buy from MoxxArt.com but the website wont accept Australia ???? What am I doing wrong???

[F]

Hey Michael,
Please advise if there is a way to identify from which fish the oil is extracted.
The only reason would like to know this is because i am more interested in the healthier one or may be the one which will work wonders

[Jess]

my fish food has fish oil and fish meal. He is a cannibal!

[Sara]

I was curious myself about how fish oil was made and than ran into your site. I am into trying nutritional products and eating healthy. I have been taking fish oil. I have some in my cupboard right now. But I have been learning about krill oil lately and I think that if 99% of our water is polluted we are doomed. I want the benefits of DHA and EPA so I have actually tried a few different products. First is OmegaK made from krill and I found it at heartattackfighter.net. I also tried flax seeds in my morning shakes.I also tried Spirulina capsules (taste like seaweed) which I found at mercola.com.

[lidia]

Why cod liver oil is extracted only from liver and not from whole fish?

[demi]

how long is it mixed for?

[Anna Kendrick]

Thanks I guess! I randomly became curious and this explained a lot :)

[Jackie Sammartino]

Please tell me the name of your product. So I can purchase