Ee Fish Oil
EE fish oil is fish oil in the ethyl ester form, in which the fatty acids have been detached from the glycerol backbone of the natural triglyceride and re-attached individually to ethanol. Each molecule is therefore a single fatty acid ethyl ester rather than a three armed triglyceride, and glycerol is removed as a co-product.
The conversion exists to make concentration possible. Individual ethyl esters differ enough in boiling point and in molecular shape to be separated from one another by distillation or by urea complexation, which cannot be done with intact triglycerides. Almost all high assay omega-3 products therefore pass through the ethyl ester stage, and EE fish oil is either sold in that form or re-esterified back to triglyceride afterwards.
The finished material is a clear, pale yellow, low viscosity liquid, noticeably thinner and lower in density than the parent triglyceride oil, and with a lower cloud point, so it stays clear at refrigeration temperature. It is insoluble in water and miscible with oils and with ethanol. Ethyl esters are aggressive solvents towards some plastics and towards softgel shells, so the fill and shell must be matched and compatibility checked. The oil is oxidation prone, stabilised with tocopherols, held under nitrogen, and specified on peroxide, anisidine and total oxidation values along with residual ethanol.
We source bulk Ee Fish Oil from top China manufacturers for our partners. The manufacturer is in Shandong. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
Please send the grade you need, the volume and your destination port, and we will come back with a solution and a price.
or call +86-21-6858 0751
- Function
- Specialty oil
Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Clear pale yellow low viscosity liquid |
| Odour and Taste | Slight marine note, free from rancid character |
| EPA Ethyl Ester (of total fatty acids) | ≥ 33.0% |
| DHA Ethyl Ester (of total fatty acids) | ≥ 22.0% |
| Total Omega-3 Fatty Acids | ≥ 60.0% |
| Identification | Conforms by gas chromatography fatty acid profile |
| Acid Value | ≤ 0.5 mg KOH/g |
| Peroxide Value | ≤ 5.0 meq/kg |
| Anisidine Value | ≤ 20 |
| Totox Value | ≤ 26 |
| Residual Ethanol | ≤ 0.5% |
| Free Glycerol | ≤ 0.02% |
| Moisture and Volatiles | ≤ 0.05% |
| Unsaponifiable Matter | ≤ 1.5% |
| Dioxins and Furans | ≤ 1.75 pg WHO-TEQ/g |
| Lead | ≤ 0.1 mg/kg |
| Mercury | ≤ 0.1 mg/kg |
Common Markets Grades
Grades are quoted by EPA and DHA content in the trade shorthand of two numbers, so a 33/22 EE carries 33 percent EPA and 22 percent DHA on total fatty acids. Common levels run from 50 percent through 60, 70 and 80 percent total omega-3, with EPA rich, DHA rich and balanced ratios available at most of them, and the highest assays, above 85 percent, reached only through chromatographic separation.
Beyond assay, the market distinguishes a standard supplement grade from a pharmaceutical grade meeting a pharmacopoeial monograph for omega-3 acid ethyl esters, which carries tighter limits on oxidation products, residual solvents and related substances. Contaminant specifications for dioxins, dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls and heavy metals are stated in all grades, and a bulk EE intermediate destined for re-esterification is traded on looser sensory criteria than an oil intended for direct filling.
Applications
- Softgel capsules in the omega-3 supplement market, where a shell compatible with ethyl esters is used
- Intermediate for the manufacture of re-esterified triglyceride concentrates
- Feedstock for chromatographic and distillative production of very high assay EPA and DHA concentrates
- Pharmaceutical and prescription omega-3 products based on pharmacopoeial grade ethyl esters
- Liquid supplements, usually flavoured and emulsified to mask the marine note
- Clinical nutrition formulations requiring a defined EPA and DHA ratio
- Microencapsulated powders spray dried from an emulsion of the ester
- Analytical and reference material for fatty acid methodology, where individual esters are needed
- Feed and pet supplement applications where a concentrated omega-3 form is specified
China Manufacturers of Ee Fish Oil
Top Ee Fish Oil manufacturers in China.
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
Regulatory Status
In the United States, omega-3 ethyl esters are sold as dietary ingredients under the dietary supplement framework, and GRAS notifications to which the FDA responded without objection cover specific marine oil preparations for defined food uses. Prescription omega-3 ethyl ester products are separately approved drugs and are outside the food and supplement framework. Fish is a major food allergen requiring declaration. The FDA has issued qualified health claims relating EPA and DHA intake to coronary heart disease and to blood pressure, and any such claim must follow the wording of the relevant enforcement discretion letter.
In the European Union, fish oil ethyl esters are foods rather than additives, so no E number applies, but because the ethyl ester form does not have the same history of consumption as the natural triglyceride oil, preparations may require authorisation under the novel food regulation, and several such oils are listed in the Union list of authorised novel foods with their specifications and conditions of use. Fish is an allergen that must be emphasised in the ingredient list. Maximum levels for dioxins, dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls and heavy metals are set in the contaminants regulation. The European Pharmacopoeia carries a monograph for omega-3 acid ethyl esters used in medicinal products. Codex has adopted a standard for fish oils which addresses concentrated oils and sets composition and quality criteria.
Manufacturing Process
Crude fish oil, usually from anchovy, sardine or menhaden, is refined first: degummed and acid treated to remove phospholipids and metals, alkali neutralised to strip free fatty acids, bleached on activated earth to remove pigments and oxidation products, and deodorised under vacuum. Persistent organic contaminants are removed either at this point or in a dedicated stripping step, since dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls would otherwise concentrate along with the fatty acids in the steps that follow.
The refined oil is then transesterified. It is mixed with a molar excess of anhydrous ethanol and an alkaline catalyst, most often sodium ethoxide, at moderate temperature under nitrogen; the catalyst attacks the ester bonds and the fatty acids transfer from glycerol to ethanol. The reaction mass is neutralised, the glycerol phase settles out and is drawn off, and excess ethanol is recovered under vacuum for reuse. The resulting ester mixture is washed and dried, then enriched: short path or falling film molecular distillation under high vacuum at low temperature removes the shorter and more saturated esters. Urea complexation may be used alongside it, since saturated and monounsaturated esters form crystalline complexes with urea while the polyunsaturates remain in solution. The enriched fraction is polish filtered, deodorised under deep vacuum to strip residual ethanol and volatiles, dosed with tocopherols and filled under nitrogen.
