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Fish oil

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: This datasheet is pending revision and updating; its contents are currently derived from FAO's Animal Feed Resources
Information System (1991-2002) and from Bo Göhl's Tropical Feeds (1976-1982).

Common names
Fish oil

Related feed(s)
Fats

Feed categories
Animal by-products Animal fats and oils Feeds from animal origin

Species
Description
Fish oil is extracted from fishery materials prior to making fish meal.

Nutritional attributes
Fish oil is an excellent source of energy, Vitamin A , D and omega-3 fatty acids. Vitamin A and D are concentrated in the liver of fish,
therefore the concentration of Vitamin A and D is higher in oils extracted from livers, such as, cod liver oil, tuna liver oil, etc. Vitamin A and
D can normally be provided more economically using synthetic sources.
Vitamin content of fish oil (Bailey et al., 1952)

Fish species Vitamin A Vitamin D

Fish species Vitamin A Vitamin D
Herring oil 30-300 25-160
Pilchard oil 100-500 20-100
Menhaden oil 340-500 50-100
Cod-liver oil 550-30000 85-500
Halibut-liver oil 4000-165000 550-20000
Tuna-liver oil 50000-1000000 16000-30000

Potential constraints
The lipids associated with fish oil are highly unsaturated and can be oxidized easily, so they need to be properly stabilized and handled.
Fish oils that have been oxidized can be toxic to animals and are highly unpalatable. Oxidation potential is high in fish oil, because of its
content of highly unsaturated fatty acids. If the oil is not properly stabilized the formation of oxidative products can occur that can become
toxic to an animal. These oxidative processes can be accelerated if the oil is exposed to light and air. Feeding of fish oil to animals,
especially monogastric animals; can cause softening of fat deposits and off-flavors to develop in the edible tissues, so the care needs to
be taken to assure that these problems doesn’t affect acceptability of the final products.
Oxidized fish oil is toxic to minks.

Ruminants
Milk protein depression was observed when fish oil was fed to lactating dairy cattle (Brzoska et al., 1999). The omega-3 fatty acid content
of milk was increased when fish oil was fed to lactating dairy cattle (Walkiewicz et al., 1995). Dry matter intake in lactating dairy cattle was
decreased when fish oil was fed and the polyunsaturated, especially omega-3 fatty acid levels were increased in the milk (Jones et al.,
1998a). Dairy cows fed fish oil tended to produce milk with lower milk fat percent and increased unsaturated fatty acid content (Jones et
al., 1998b).
Feeding fish oil was not found to affect rumen fiber digestion or rumen digestion when fed to dairy cattle (Doreau, 1992). Feeding fish oil
to cattle was found to decrease rumen NH3 and acetate levels (Keady et al., 1999). The protection of fish oil by chemical treatment has
been shown to be a way of reducing their modification in the rumen and for increasing the omega-3 fatty acid content in the milk of
lactating dairy cows (Jones et al., 1998a).
The eicosapentaenoic and docosahezaenoic acids in phospholipids were increased in calves when fish oil was fed (Jenkins et al., 1990).

Pigs
Feeding of fish oil can increase the amount of unsaturated fat present in the tissues, especially of monogastric animals, which can cause
the back fat to become soft and off-flavors to develop. The presence of unsaturated fats in the edible portions becomes a more significant
problem when those portions are being processed, such as when pork hams are being smoked and cured.
Tissue content of unsaturated fatty acids was found to increase as the level of fish oil in the diet increased in swine (Barowicz et al., 1997).
Neonatal piglets are shown to have ample capacity to digest and absorb the lipid components contained in fish oil (Chiang et al., 1989).
Fat hardness decreased and iodine number increased of the body tissues of swine when fish oil was fed (Irie et al., 1992). Carcass quality
was negatively effected in swine carcasses when fish oil was fed (Urbanczyk et al., 1997). Off-flavors and increased unsaturated fatty acid
content in the tissues of swine was observed when 1 to 3 % fish oil was fed (Overland et al., 1996). Feeding 3 to 6 % fish oil to 60 kg pigs
was found to cause off-flavors in the edible tissues (Lauridsen et al., 1999).
The unsaturated fatty acid levels in milk from sows fed fish oil increased (Arbuckle et al., 1993). Feeding fish oil to pregnant and lactating

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swine was found to increase birth weight of piglets, increase piglet weight at 21 days and decrease piglet mortality (Walkiewicz et al.,
1993). The progression was retarded and regression of arteriosclerosis was observed when swine was fed fish oil (Sassen et al., 1989).
Cholesterol levels associated with the Low Density Lipoprotein were increased when fish oil was fed to sows (Kirchgessner et al., 1994).
Feeding of fish oil was found to increase insulin sensitivity in pigs (Behme, 1996).

Poultry
The lipid composition in the tissues of chickens was altered when fish oil was fed (Fritsche et al., 1991; Machin et al., 1990). Feeding
broilers up to 0.83 % during the starter phase and 1.14 % during growing phase was found to have no affect on flavor of the meat
(Sarcicek et al., 1997). Plasma cholesterol was increased in chicks fed fish oil (Choi et al., 1995).
Feeding fish oil to layers was found to increase the unsaturated fatty acid levels in the eggs, reduce cholesterol and lipoprotein in yolk
and caused only a slight change in taste (Rys et al., 1998; Korelski et al., 1998). Unsaturated fatty acid incorporation occurred at a higher
rate in the tissue as compared to the egg portion in layers when fish oil was fed (Wang et al., 1993). Egg weights were found to be
decreased when layers receiving were fed fish oil (Whitehead, 1995). The arachidonic to linoleic acid ratio was lowered in the tissue of
layers receiving fish oil (Takita et al., 1995).

Minks
Oxidized fish oil was found to be toxic to mink and feeding fish oil to mink impaired reproductive performance (Börsting et al., 1998).

Fish
Incorporating fish oil into carp diets increased gains, increased body fat levels and the level of unsaturated fat in the body fat reserves
(Viola et al., 1988). When fish oil was fed to tilapia no change in gain or body fat levels where observed, but the unsaturated fat level in
the body fat did increase (Viola et al., 1988). Omega-3 fatty acid levels in carp and tilapia were increased as when fish oil was fed (Viola et
al., 1990).

Tables of chemical composition and nutritional value

Fish oil

Avg: average or predicted value; SD: standard deviation; Min: minimum value; Max: maximum value; Nb: number of values (samples) used

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: This datasheet is pending revision and updating; its contents are currently derived from FAO's Animal Feed Resources
Information System (1991-2002) and from Bo Göhl's Tropical Feeds (1976-1982).

Fish oil
Main analysis Unit Avg SD Min Max Nb
Dry matter % as fed 99.9 0.1 99.5 100.0 39
Gross energy MJ/kg DM 39.0 1

Minerals Unit Avg SD Min Max Nb

Sodium g/kg DM 0.0 1

Pig nutritive values Unit Avg SD Min Max Nb

Energy digestibility, growing pig % 86.2 *
DE growing pig MJ/kg DM 33.6 *

Fish nutritive values Unit Avg SD Min Max Nb

DE salmonids MJ/kg DM 37.6 *
Energy digestibility, salmonids % 96.4 1

The asterisk * indicates that the average value was obtained by an equation.
References

AFZ, 2011; Migdal et al., 1991

Last updated on 28/11/2012 22:35:25

References
Arbuckle, L. D. ; Innis, S. M., 1993. Docosahexaenoic acid is transferred through maternal diet to milk and to tissues of natural milk-fed piglets. J. Nutr., 123 (10):
1668-1675
Bailey, B. E. ; Carter, N. M. ; Swain, L. A., 1952. The chemistry and technology of marine oils with particular reference to those of Canada. Fish. Res. Bd Can. Bull.
No. 89
Barowicz, T. ; Pietras, M. ; Gasior, R., 1997. Influence of dietary supplements of fish oil on performance, fatty acid composition and pork carcass characteristics.
1st Yugoslav international congress on animal husbandry, Belgrade (Yugoslavia), 8-10 Oct 1997
Behme, M.T., 1996. Dietary fish oil enhances insulin sensitivity in miniature pigs. J. Nutr., 126 (6): 1549-1553

Börsting, C. F. ; Engberg, R. M. ; Jensen, S. K. ; Damgaard, B. M., 1998. Effects of high amounts of dietary fish oil of different oxidative quality on performance
and health of growing-furring male mink (Mustela vison) and of female mink during rearing, reproduction and nursing periods.. J. Anim. Physiol. Anim. Nutr., 79
(3-4): 210-223
Brzoska, F. ; Gasior, R. ; Sala, K. ; Wiewiora, W., 1999. Effect of calcium salts of fatty acids from animal fat, rape oil, linseed oil and fish oil on the yield and
composition of cow's milk. Roczniki Naukowe Zootechniki, 26 (2): 105-117
Chiang, S. H. ; Pettigrew, J. E. ; Clarke, S. D. ; Cornelius, S. G., 1989. Digestion and absorption of fish oil by neonatal piglets. J. Nutr., 119 (11): 1741-1743

Choi, I. S. ; Chee, K. M., 1995. Effects of paired-fed diets containing soy protein, casein and fish oil on cholesterol levels in plasma and liver of young chicks.
Korean J. Anim. Sci., 37 (2): 117-126
Doreau, M., 1992. Effects of supplementation with hydrogenated fish fat on digestion in dairy cows. Ann. Zootech., 41: 137-143

Fritsche, K. L. ; Cassity, N. A. ; Huang, S. C., 1991. Effect of dietary fats on the fatty acid compositions of serum and immune tissues in chickens. Poult. Sci., 70
(5): 1213-1222
Irie, M. ; Sakimoto, M., 1992. Fat characteristics of pigs fed fish oil containing eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids. J. Anim. Sci., 70 (2): 470-477

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Jenkins, K. J. ; Kramer, J. K. G., 1990. Effects of dietary corn oil and fish oil concentrate on lipid composition of calf tissues. J. Dairy Sci., 73 (10): 2940-2951

Jones, D. F. ; Weiss, W. P. ; Jenkins, T. C., 1998. Dietary fish oil for dairy cows: 2. Effects on neutrophil function and digestibility. Special Circular - Ohio Agricultural
Research and Development Center, 163
Jones, D. F. ; Weiss, W. P. ; Palmquist, D. L. ; Jenkins, T. C., 1998. Dietary fish oil for dairy cows: 1. Effects on milk fatty acid production and composition. Special
Circular - Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, 163: 101-104
Keady, T. W. J. ; Mayne, C. S., 1999. The effects of level of fish oil inclusion in the diet on rumen digestion and fermentation parameters in cattle offered grass
silage based diets. Anim. Feed Sci. Technol., 81 (1-2): 57-68
Kirchgessner, M. ; Eder, K. ; Muller, H. L., 1994. The effect of isoenergetic replacement of starch by olive oil and fish oil on concentrations of lipids in plasma and
lipoproteins in the pig. Zeitschrift fur Ernahrungswissenschaft, 33 (4): 286-298
Korelski, J. ; Kuchta, M. ; Rys, R. ; Sieradzka A., 1998. Comparison of the influence of rapeseed oil and fish fat in laying hen nutrition on the level of
polyunsaturated fatty acids in egg yolk. Roczniki Naukowe Zootechniki, 25 (1): 91-102
Lauridsen, C. ; Andersen, G. ; Andersson, M. ; Danielsen, V. ; Engberg, R. ; Jakobsen, K., 1999. Effect of dietary fish oil supplied to pigs from weaning to 60 kg
liveweight on performance, tissue fatty acid composition and palatability of pork when slaughtered at 100 kg liveweight. J. Anim. Feed Sci., 8 (3): 441-456
Machin, D. H. ; Panigrahi, S. ; Bainton, J. ; Morris, T. R., 1990. Performance of broiler chicks fed on low and high oil fish silages in relation to changes taking place
in lipid and protein components. Anim. Feed Sci. Technol., 28 (3-4): 199-223
Migdal, W. ; Kaczmarczyk, J., 1991. Effect of fish oil in the diets for sows on chemical composition of milk and results of piglet management. Acta Agraria et
Silvestria Series Zootechnica, 29: 47-58
Overland, M. ; Tangbol, O. ; Haug, A. ; Sundstol, E., 1996. Effect of fish oil on growth performance, carcass characteristics, sensory parameters and fatty acid
composition in pigs. Acta Agric. Scand., 46: 11–17
Rys, R. ; Korelski, J. ; Kuchta, M. ; Sieradzka, Z. ; Zegarek, Z., 1998. The influence of marine originated fat in diet for hens on the polyunsaturatedfatty acids in egg
yolk and cholesterol content in blood serum. Roczniki Naukowe Zootechniki, 25 (1): 75-90
Sarcicek, B. Z. ; Ocak, N. ; Garipoglu, A. V., 1997. A study on utilizing fish oil in broiler diets. Ondokuzmayis Universitesi, Ziraat Fakultesi Dergisi, 12 (1): 33-42
Sassen, L. M. A. ; Hartog, J. M. ; Lamers, J. M. J. ; Klompe, M. ; Van Woerkens, L. J. ; Verdouw, P. D., 1989. Mackerel oil and atherosclerosis in pigs. Eur. Heart
J., 10 (9): 838-846
Takita, T. ; Oku, T. ; Wada, M. ; Innami, S., 1995. Effects of dietary corn oil and fish oil on concentrations of total cholesterol and n-3 or n-6 polyenoic acids in
tissues of laying hens. Japan. J. Nutr., 53 (4): 255-262
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of meat. Roczniki Naukowe Zootechniki, 24 (4): 155-169
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oils and recycled cooking oils. Anim. Feed Sci. Technol., 155: 65-73
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Bamidgeh, 43 (1): 27-30
Viola, S. ; Arieli, Y. ; Winterfeld, R. ; Lazar, M. ; Cogan, U. ; Mokady, S., 1990. Effects of n-3 fatty acid supplementation on storage stability and taste of carp and
tilapia. Israeli J. Aquacult., 42 (2): 56-57
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Whitehead, C. C., 1995. Plasma oestrogen and the regulation of egg weight in laying hens by dietary fats. Anim. Feed Sci. Technol., 53 (2): 91-98

33 references found

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DATASHEET UNDER CONSTRUCTION. DO NOT QUOTE. http://www.feedipedia.org/node/205 Last updated on September 5, 2012,
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