AOCS, GOED to Release New Fish Oil Test

URBANA, Ill.— The American Oil Chemists Society (AOCS) and the Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3s (GOED) will release a new analytical proficiency test series for the nutritional fish oils by early 2009 by as part of the AOCS Laboratory Proficiency Program (LPP). The “AOCS/GOED EPA and DHA Series” is designed to assess the proficiency of labs in measuring the most common aspects of the GOED Voluntary Monograph for EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) omega-3 oils, formerly known as the CRN Voluntary Monograph.

The AOCS LPP currently offers three marine products series: fishmeal, marine oils and marine oil FAC (fatty acid content). The marine oil and marine oil FAC series are designed for the commodity marine oil markets and offer samples of crude fish oils from different origins. The rapid growth of the long-chain omega-3 market spurred interest in expanding the LPP to include the new series targeted to the nutritional oils industry. It will test acid value, peroxide value, anisidine value, Totox number (calculated), EPA and DHA content reported as mg/g and initially optional lead, arsenic, mercury and cadmium tests from the Voluntary Monograph. It will not include the dioxin, furan and dioxin-like PCB tests from the Voluntary Monograph since these tests are very specialized. AOCS and GOED estimate there will be six samples in the series, including a normal 30% EPA+DHA oil, a high-DHA oil, a single-cell oil, and three omega-3 triglyceride concentrates.

The full GOED Voluntary Monograph is available online.