Bioavailability Studies of Emulsified Flavored Fish Oil.

Bioavailability Studies of Emulsified Flavored Fish Oil.

Douglas M. Bibus, Karl Schumacher, and Ralph T. Holman.
The University of Minnesota, The Hormel Institute,
801 16th Ave. NE, Austin, MN 55912, USA.

As science continues to unravel the nutritional and therapeutic benefits of supplemental Omega-3, demand for fish oil supplements and related Omega-3 products will grow. Enhanced demand will create a need to provide fish oil in more desirable and more effective delivery systems that are more amenable to consumer needs, taste, and convenience.

Emulsified flavored fish oil products have emerged as a way of providing fish oil in a form that not only tastes good but also in a form that is already emulsified. Recent work from our laboratory has examined the bioavailability of an emulsified flavored fish oil product (Coromega®) vs. traditional encapsulated fish oil in a short-term feeding trial in men. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive either of the products following an overnight fast. Plasma samples were prepared from venous blood draws at baseline, 2, 4, 8, 24, and 48 h following the ingestion of the equivalent of 4g of fish oil from either product. One week after the initiation of the study, the study protocol was repeated with the opposite oil. Subjects fasted during the first 8h of study and were advised to consume low-fat meals for the rest of the study. Fatty acid profiles were then determined for plasma total phospholipids for each time point with baseline values serving as control. Percentage differences in specific fatty acids in individuals were then compared to baseline and the alternative treatment to assess bioavailability.

Findings on this study suggest that emulsified fish oil is more bioavailable. Levels of eicosapentaenoic acids (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acids (DHA) not only increased faster in subjects consuming emulsified fish oil but increased to a greater extent during the 2-d study period.

Flavored fish oil emulsions will revolutionize the way people consume fish oil and may be an effective tool to guarantee greater study compliance in study subjects adverse to fish oil capsules.

Source: www.coromega.com