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EricT · 12-12-2006, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nathan

My only point is that with the info you've provided..you have basically deemed millions and millions of bottles on shelves of stores trial and error....in other words....worthless.

Whoa! You've read a whole lot more into what I've said than I ever intended (which is ok, makes for good discussion ). In fact I didn't want to state much of a theory at all only that the average consumer is playing craps when they buy fish oil off the shelf at WalMart. I never said they were all worthless nor do I think that. I guess I should have written a longer post but I didn't want to write pages and pages to say that the buyer should beware...and educate themselves.

As I've stated before, I don't by room temperature fish oil. I certainly don't buy something that may have sat on a warehouse shelf for months. This gives me a better chance of getting the freshest and most useful product. It's not news. Even if you contact the big essential oil companies like Carlson or Spectrum they are going to tell you the same thing. But that doesn't mean I think that shelf stable stuff is worthless, just not as good. Even some of those top-shelf companies sell both. I go by the info I have and try to make an educated decision.

Keep in mind that none of this is my "theory" it's just information that I have found and passed on. I don't develop theories on food science seeing as I'm not a food scientist

. And I will call fish oil food in the sense that most other dietary oils are food so it is silly to have it in another category even though it is.

On the question of whether they are spoiled in the bottle, yes, some few of them are, whether caps or liquid. But the majority of them will pass muster in a simple lab test right after opened. But as I've said before, fish oil begins the process of rancidifictation through oxidation immediately. As soon as they start separating it it is going to start going bad. Why do they add vitamin E or other antioxidants? For this very reason. And it is pretty effective, based on the info at hand, but it can only prevent further oxidation not reverse it or stop the chain reaction that has already occured.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nathan

These tubs are not vacuum sealed....so why do things suddenly change once opened for a second or two once per day? (assuming kept in a dark, dry, cool place like most cupboards)

Some of the better ones are sealed with nitrogen rather than being vacumn sealed. That creates and inert environment which is even better. But it doesn't matter whether they are vacumn sealed or not. The word chain-reaction explains it. You see, even if you never open the bottle once the process of oxidation has begun it is automatic and does not require the presensce of more oxygen. Like wise exposure to light cause photo-oxidation. The by-products initiate reactions that lead to other by-product, and so on until the oil is rancid. It's called auto-oxidation. Everytime you open the container it just speeds the process along. Especially exposure to light. From what I’ve read photo-oxidation is even more robust. BUT I am not saying this to strike fear in everyone. It’s just the way it is and is something that should be kept in mind. You can’t change it and neither can the manufacturers

.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nathan

Is room temperature fish oil a scam??

Well there are a lot of companies out there and I'd guess at least some of it is, while not an outright scam, at leat "knowingly inferior". There are several very good manufactures that insist their product be kept it's frehest at all times and that stock be rotated out on a regualar basis.

Fish oil is not as easy to produce as seed oils. For that reason, ignoring all the possible contaminants, it is harder to keep fresh. Just think about what you'd have to go throught to extract just oil from the body of a fish. A lot of steps involved in that! With seeds you press them and the oil squeezes out. Not so with a fish. Lots of other gross stuff squeezes out too

.

You take all the process incuding whatever decontamination, etc. and then insist on keeping it refridgerated. Not storing it for any prolonged period of time. Taking back all the old oil from the retailers....I don't need to spell out the difference between that and room temperature oils that can be sold anywhere, sit on the shelf for maybe even a few years and that doesn't have to be rushed to retailors....That plus the fact that the average consumer pretty much trusts anything that comes off a grocery store or drug store shelf (sorry but it's true). So, I don't think it's a scam, but I think a concious choice has been made with the bottom line in mind.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nathan

By your theory and advice, i should not buy room temperature fish oil....this worries me.

Well that is my advice. It's not that hard to find refridgerated stuff. But it's only advice. I don't claim it's some kind of exact thing where products A are all good, and prodcuts B are all bad. I would never claim that nor am I trying to create a big scare.

In fact I hate it. There are a few companies right now that are touting "phamaceutical" fish oil, based on just that kind of reasoning. Which is nothing more than marketing to me since there is no standard definition for this other than what those companies would try to make people believe. Nobody needs to listen to me alone, they should do their own research and make their own decision.

Sorry for the long post, I just wanted to be clear

.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spectrum Oils

Q: How do you recommend storing Fish Oil softgels?

A: Spectrum Fish Oil softgels are shelf stable, but should be kept refrigerated after opening to maintain freshness.