Values are means f SD.
The fatty acid compositions of the fish oil and the margarine used are shown in Table 2.
The fish oil is thoroughly purified from dioxin, organochlorine pesticides, PCB’s (polychlorinated
biphenyls), and heavy metals. The concentration of dioxin is below the detection level (less than 0.4
pg/kg). Total DDT and PCB’s are also below the detection levels of 18 and 4.5 pg L-‘, respectively.
Mercury is below the detection level of 5 ~1 L-‘, as are lead and cadmium.
Stability of fish oil
50 g of fish oil was stored in darkness at room temperature in a 150 ml baker with a diameter of 6
cm. 5 g samples were taken for duplicate analyses after one, two and three weeks. The peroxide
value was determined according to A.O.C.S. Official Method Cd 8-53.
Analyses of blood samples
Triglycerides and total cholesterol in serum, and HDL cholesterol in plasma were determined
immediately after blood sampling with a Reflotrona (Boehringer Mannheim, Sweden).