“So… what Omega-3 concentration will my plant actually make?”
Many fish oil processing plants have such inquiries and are seeking solutions for upgrading process equipment, expanding capacity, and innovating process technology.
Your customer wants a certain EPA/DHA grade. You’re worried your plant won’t hit it. I get it. That uncertainty can stall a perfectly good investment.
Simply speaking, with the right fatty acids processing strategy, our lines routinely deliver basic, mid-, high-, and ultra-high concentrates (≈30-60–95% EPA+DHA), and—with chromatography—near-pure EPA-EE or DHA-EE at ≈95–99.7%. Your exact number depends on feed GC, route (EE or rTG), stage count, and polishing steps.
Here’s a clean, “plug-and-play” way to answer your inquiries about expected Omega-3 (EPA/DHA) concentrations from a fish-oil concentration and Omega-3 enrichment processing line.
Output grades by process route (what the plant can make)
| Product format | Main unit ops | Typical outputs (wt%) | Notes / use cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refined TG oil (triglyceride) | Degumming → Neutralization → Bleaching → Deodorization → Winterization | EPA 18–22 / DHA 12–16 (Total n-3: 28–38) | “18/12” style nutrition oil; baseline after refining/winterization. |
| Mid-concentrate EE (ethyl esters) | Trans-esterification (EE) → Short-path MD (8-10 cuts) | 3020 / 3322 / 5020 / 4035 / 5025 / 2550 / 1050 / 6010 / 6515 EE Total EPA+DHA: 60–75 | Cost-effective concentrates; supplements, foods. |
| High-concentrate EE | EE → Multi-stage short-path MD (8–10 cuts) ± urea/adsorption | 4030 / 5020 / 4035 / 4638/ 5025 / 2550 / 8010 / 7010 / 8000 EE Total EPA+DHA: 75–90 | Most common premium grade; for food, supplement and API intermediate, meets many GOED claims. |
| Ultra-high EE or TG | EE /TG→ Multi-stage MD + urea/adsorption polishing | 6515 / 5025 / 1050 Total EPA: 90–98 or DHA 60-95 | Near-pharma; tighter process control. |
| Near-pure fractions (EE) | Above + SMB/column chromatography (EPA-rich or DHA-rich) | EPA-EE 90–98 or DHA-EE 90–98 (single-component) | For APIs/Rx-adjacent specs; lower overall yield. |
| Re-esterified TG (rTG) | High-% EE → Enzymatic re-esterification → MD polish | Total EPA+DHA rTG: 70–90 (EPA- or DHA-skewed possible) | “Natural-like” TG form with high actives |
We configure lines to ship any one or several of the above as saleable fractions.
Refined TG baseline. Think “18/12 oil.” After refining and winterization, total EPA+DHA usually lands ~28–38%. This is your nutrition-oil workhorse and your mass-balance anchor. goedomega3.com
Mid-concentrates (EE). 60–75% EPA+DHA. Great costs. Great flexibility. Single or multi-stage short path distillation equipment, tuned cut points, and you’re there. Molecular distillation is efficient on PUFAs because of vapor-pressure and volatility differences under deep vacuum.
High-concentrates (EE). 75–90% EPA+DHA. We add stages, squeeze cut windows, and control residence times. Oxidation control matters more as temperature and surface area increase. I’ll show you the quality guardrails in a moment.
Ultra-high (EE). 90–95% EPA+DHA. Same physics. Tighter process windows. Polishing step recommended to stabilize color and spec. Urea complexation is a classic, still effective route to jump purity. PMC+1
Near-pure fractions. Want EPA-EE 95–99% or DHA-EE 95–99%? That’s simulated moving bed (SMB) on high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). It’s continuous, predictable, and scalable when designed right. 科学网+2科学网+2
rTG option. Re-esterify your high-% EE back to triglyceride form for market positioning, then polish. Similiar concentration ranges apply; the consumer-facing “form” changes. For dosage and health-claims context, I point teams to NIH’s neutral overview. 膳食补充剂办公室
2) Fraction “menus” we can tune (same line, different cuts)
- Balanced n-3 (e.g., EPA 35–50 / DHA 25–40, total 65–85)
- EPA-rich (e.g., EPA 70–85, DHA <10; ultra-high 95–98% EPA-EE with chromatography)
- DHA-rich (e.g., DHA 70–85, EPA <10; ultra-high 95–98% DHA-EE with chromatography)
- Custom ratios (EPA:DHA ≈ 1:1, 2:1, 3:1, etc.) for specific claims or formulations
3) Typical yield vs target purity
| Target purity (EPA+DHA) | Typical overall yield from refined oil processing and optimization |
|---|---|
| 60–75% | 55–75% |
| 75–90% | 35–55% |
| 90–95% | 20–35% |
| 95–98% single-component (EPA or DHA) | 8–20% |
You don’t get to have everything. As purity rises, overall yield falls. That’s not a defect.
That’s how separations work. I always share a “rule-of-thumb” curve in proposals so nobody is surprised later.
These are plant-planning heuristics, not lab fantasies. Your feed GC and oxidation history move the needle.
- Exact yield depends on feed GC profile, oxidation (AV/PV/TOTOX), saturation level, and the chosen processing strategy. We provide a mass-balance after reviewing your feed GC.
4) What actually fixes the final % for your plant
- Feedstock GC (starting EPA/DHA/SFA/MUFA profile)
- Process route (EE vs rTG; molecular distillation stages; urea/adsorption; chromatography)
- Number of molecular distillation stages & cut points (evaporator temps, pressures, reflux strategy)
- Polishing steps (urea complexation/adsorption to lift from ~85→90%+, or chromatography → 95–98%)
- Oxidation management (tight O₂/vacuum/temp control to protect yield & color)
Start with the feed. If your crude or refined base oil is low in long-chain n-3, no model can bend physics. Anchovy oil, for instance, typically shows EPA+DHA around 27–34% area after refining. That’s your launchpad. goedomega3.com
Then choose the route. Ethyl esters (EE) concentrate cleanly. Re-esterified triglycerides (rTG) give you “natural-like” labeling with high actives. Either way, you still lean on the same separation physics later. goedomega3.com
Stage count and cut points do the heavy lifting. Multi-stage short-path molecular distillation (MD) lets me shave off lighter matrices and step the actives up. MD is the commercial benchmark in this space for a reason.
Polishing lifts you across thresholds. Urea complexation or adsorption can push a good 80–85% concentrate into the 90%+ club. Chromatography (SMB, MPLC) is how we carve out near-pure EPA-EE or DHA-EE.
Quality guardrails your buyer will ask about
Know the acronyms. PV (peroxide value), p-AV (p-anisidine), and TOTOX. TOTOX is the composite index: TOTOX = 2×PV + p-AV. Keep it low, keep it fresh.
Our reference standard is the GOED Voluntary Monograph. Typical limits: PV ≤ 5 meq/kg, p-AV ≤ 20, TOTOX ≤ 26 for EPA/DHA oils. When we design your line and SOPs, we aim under those lines with margin. goedomega3.com
What about IFOS five-star bragging rights? Their test panel is strict, and their effective TOTOX ceiling is lower than GOED’s; many brands chase ≤19.5.
And yes, dosage frameworks vary by regulator and indication. For neutral, evidence-based guidance on intake ranges, I send folks to the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. 膳食补充剂办公室
Topic-related questions to pressure-test your plan?
- What GC ranges should I expect from our anchovy/sardine mix across seasons, and how does that cap my final % without polishing? goedomega3.com
- What GOED limits will my QA team enforce on PV, p-AV, and TOTOX, and how do we measure them on site? goedomega3.com
- What’s the exact TOTOX formula, and why do some buyers care more about TOTOX than PV alone? PMC
- If we want an IFOS five-star claim, what extra controls do we need in packaging and storage?
- For 90–95% product, is urea complexation enough, or should we budget for chromatography now?
- If our market needs EPA-EE 95–98% capsules, which is more scalable in our region—SMB or MPLC—and who supplies the media?
- Does EE vs rTG change clinical performance enough to matter for our label claims, or should we choose based on cost and supply? PMC+1
- Which steps in MD most affect oxidation, and how do we keep PV down while still hitting throughput?
- What deodorization parameters help remove off-odors without hurting PUFA integrity? PMC
Conclusion
You don’t buy “a percentage.” You buy a platform that can make the percentage you need—on demand, with quality to match.
Share your GC.
I’ll send back a mass-balance, two solutions, and a commissioning QC plan.
