Omega-3 DHA Concentrate

Grades are quoted by DHA content and by the EPA that accompanies it, in the two figure trade shorthand, so a 10/50 concentrate carries 10 percent EPA and 50 percent DHA. Common levels are 50, 60 and 70 percent DHA, with the highest assays reached only through chromatographic separation. Products intended for infant nutrition are specified with EPA deliberately held low, since a high EPA level is not wanted in that application.

Chemical form is the second axis: the ethyl ester is cheaper and reaches the higher assays, while the re-esterified triglyceride costs more and is preferred where a triglyceride form is required. Source is declared as marine or algal; algal concentrates carry a vegan claim and avoid the fish allergen and marine contaminant profile, which is why they dominate infant formula supply. Beyond the neat oil, microencapsulated powders spray dried at 10 to 25 percent oil load and oil in water emulsions are separate finished formats. Grades meeting a pharmacopoeial monograph carry tighter limits than the general supplement line.

In the United States, DHA rich marine and algal oils are the subject of GRAS notifications to which the FDA responded without objection for defined food uses including infant formula, and they are sold as dietary ingredients under the dietary supplement framework. Each GRAS position attaches to a specific source and specification rather than to DHA concentrates generally. Infant formula manufacturers must notify the FDA before marketing a formula containing a new ingredient. Fish must be declared as a major food allergen where the source is marine.

In the European Union, concentrated and algal DHA oils are authorised individually under the novel food regulation and appear in the Union list with source, permitted food categories, maximum levels and specification set out for each. DHA is a nutrient rather than an additive, so no E number applies. The delegated regulation on infant and follow-on formula requires DHA at defined levels in those products, and the nutrition and health claims regulation carries authorised claims for DHA relating to brain and vision function at specified intakes. Fish is an allergen requiring emphasis in the ingredient list, and the contaminants regulation sets maximum levels for dioxins and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls in fish oil. Codex has adopted a standard for fish oils covering DHA rich and concentrated oils.