Fish oil

NORSAN fish oil

100% natural fish oil from wild catch

Fish catches are carefully selected using the following basic criteria:

• Fishing method, sustainability and fishing area
• Extraction and purification of fish oil
• Particularly advantageous analytical parameters such as TOTOX value, heavy metals and PCBs

NORSAN fish oil can be considered the best omega-3 oil for therapeutic purposes:

• High proportion of omega-3 fatty acids (up to 35%)
• A particularly high content of omega-3 EPA and a ratio of at least 2:1 to omega-3 DHA

To ensure the high standards of quality and properties of our NORSAN fish oil, we pay attention to strict standards when catching the fish. These are checked and certified by independent organizations such as IFOS (5 stars) and Friend of the Sea. The oil comes from wild-caught small fish such as mackerel, anchovies and sardines.

Natural fish oil from wild catch

"Keep your diet as natural as possible." Guided by this principle, we always - and without exceptions - use the natural fish oil complex from the fish, and never chemically altered fish oil concentrates. This natural fish oil complex contains a high percentage up to 35% of the valuable omega-3 fatty acids.

A natural fish oil such as the NORSAN Total contains more than 50 different fatty acids. In a concentrated fish oil product, this natural composition is destroyed to increase the proportion of omega-3. Little is known about how these concentrated oils behave in the body after consumption. Natural, non-concentrated products are recommended to achieve the same good effects as consuming oily fish. This is deeply rooted in our beliefs and philosophy, so we never fall into the temptation to apply concentrates.

Extraction and purification

The crude oil is obtained by gently heating and pressing the fish. The application of heat is unfortunately unavoidable in this step. However, when combined with vacuum pressure, the fatty acids are preserved in their natural form.

An oxygen-free processing environment is guaranteed for NORSAN fish oil so that our oil is optimally protected against oxidation. Oxidation causes fish odor and has an unpleasant effect on taste. The TOTOX value - the oxidation value or "freshness value" of the oil (the lower, the fresher) - is usually in the low range of 10 to 13, confirming the freshness of the oil.

Unfortunately, because the marine environment is becoming increasingly polluted by heavy metals and chemicals, residents also ingest these pollutants through their diet. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully clean the raw fish oil and remove all possible harmful substances.

For this we use a modern facility in Norway, which uniquely ensures the filtration and purification of heavy metals, pollutants and PCBs from the oil while preserving the qualities of the fish oil. The special refining process is based on an effective and unique 3-fold purification during the first 3 process steps.

While the usual procedures in the industry rely only on 2-step coarse cleaning, we also perform a special microdestillation in which the remaining contaminants are accurately filtered out.

Sustainability and quality

NORSAN fish oil is FOS certified and is obtained from fish originating from waters certified as sustainable by FOS. FOS criteria include that:

• Oil derived from fish stocks that are not overfished.
• Prevention of fishing practices that catch endangered species as bycatch.
• Reduction of fishing practices that negatively impact the ecosystem.
• Fishing and oil extraction are energy efficient.
• Practices include high standards of social responsibility.

We appreciate the fact that we can harvest the high-quality raw materials from the sea. And we are aware of our responsibility to the sea in this role. Therefore, we consider sustainability and conservation of fish stocks as the most important criteria in oil selection. We work according to strict ethical and formal rules.

We follow full transparency regarding test results and laboratory reports. Click on the following button to view certificates of our raw materials and finished products.

Why is high EPA content important?

Omega-3 EPA fatty acids are central in controlling inflammatory processes in the body.

• Omega-3 EPA fatty acids are the starting point of the anti-inflammatory hormone prostaglandins type 3 (PGE3). As an eicosanoid, this hormone is the antagonist of the inflammatory hormone prostaglandin type 2 (PGE2), whose starting material is the omega-6 fatty acid (arachidonic acid). In this way, EPA inhibits the pro-inflammatory effects of PGE2 from arachidonic acid. Side note: Aspirin also addresses the symptoms of PGE2.
• EPA can be converted into DHA. This fatty acid also has anti-inflammatory functions.
• A high proportion of omega-3 EPA in the body slows down the conversion capacity for the omega-6 fatty acids (omega-3 and omega-6 share the conversion capacity in the body). Thus, this indirect effect inhibits the formation of the omega-6 arachidonic acid in the body.

The ratio of EPA to DHA in Omega-3 Total is approximately 2: 1, which has proven to be effective in balancing an omega-6/3 imbalance in the body (based on more than 3,000 individual fatty acid analyses in Germany).