Compositional Information Useful for Authentication of Krill Oil and the Detection of Adulterants

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and chromatography, particularly thin layer chromatography with flame ionisation detector (TLC-FID), were used to investigate fish oil adulteration of krill oil with ethyl esters and triacylglycerol. Natural krill oil has higher levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in phospholipid than in triacylglycerol and so high levels of these omega-3 fatty acids in krill oil triacylglycerol was indicative of adulteration. Carbon (¹³C) NMR detected adulteration of krill oil with 10% or more anchovy oil, while TLC-FID detected levels as low as 1% adulteration with EPA ethyl esters. However, positional distribution of EPA and DHA, as determined using ¹³C NMR, was similar for both fish oil and krill oil, indicating that positional distribution cannot be used to show adulteration. Phosphorous (³¹P) NMR spectroscopy can show adulteration with low cost sources of phospholipid but was not useful for determining adulteration of krill oil with fish oil.     

Bioequivalence of encapsulated and microencapsulated fish-oil supplementation

Omega-3 oil from fish can be stabilised against oxidation using a variety of microencapsulation technologies. Complex coacervation has been used and found to be commercially useful for fortifying foods and beverages with long-chain omega-3 containing oils. Here we report a comparative human bioavailability study of microencapsulated omega-3 fish oil and standard fish-oil soft-gel capsules. Phospholipid levels of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids increased equivalently in both subjects groups. Also, triacylglycerol levels were reduced similarly in both groups. These results indicate that omega-3 fatty acids have equivalent bioavailability when delivered as microencapsulated complex coacervates or as soft-gel capsules.     

Stabilization of highly unsaturated fatty acids and delivery into foods

Highly unsaturated fatty acids derived from fish or algal oils, particularly EPA and DHA, are in high demand as healthy food ingredients in fortified foods. Due to their oxidative instability most food products incorporate stabilized microencapsulated EPA and DHA oils to avoid negative sensory impact associated with oxidation of these fatty acids. Complex coacervation has been particularly successful in stabilizing fish oil and providing an ingredient with a sensory shelf‐life consistent with that of the food product. Overcoming the technical challenges associated with the instability of these oils will help drive growth of the omega‐3 fortified healthy food ingredient market.     

Enhancement of Reaction Rates by Segmented Fluid Flow in Capillary Scale Reactors

For a simple biphasic hydrolysis, we show that the application of various reaction conditions in microreactors using segmented flow can dramatically increase the reaction rate. A tandem diazotation/Heck reaction served as an example that even homogeneous reactions can be accelerated by segmentation in microreactors.     

A comparison of methods for measuring the effect of level of application on the relative effectiveness of two fertilizers

The effectiveness of a slowly soluble source of phosphate relative to a soluble source may decrease with increasing levels of application. This may cause yields to approach a lower asymptote. Four methods for measuring this effect are compared using field experiments in which a calcined rock phosphate (Calciphos) was compared with superphosphate for growth of subterranean clover. The methods were: subjective estimates using a hand drawn calibration curve; objective estimates using a fitted calibration curve; objective estimates using the fit of separate response curves; and objective estimates from the fit of a common response surface in which relative effectiveness was related to level of application. The role of these four methods differs. The first method, though often informative, is suitable only for an initial inspection of the data. The other three methods may all be useful for analysis but the fourth method was the most general. It gave the most sensitive statistical test and had the further advantage that it was a direct test of the hypothesis. All four methods showed that the relative effectiveness of Calciphos decreased with increasing levels of application.