prior to reaching the market in encapsulated or bottled form, fish
oils undergo the refining process. According to obtained data it is
impossible to indicate the correlation between the origin of the oil
or the form of marketing and the levels of determined compounds.
Obtained results confirm that the main reason of MCPD esters
formation is the refining process. The level of bound 3-MCPD was
higher in all analyzed samples than the level of bound 2-MCPD. The
relationship between the presence of both bound 3-MCPD and 2-
MCPD in lipid samples as well as the ratio of these compounds,
especially in fish oils, need further evaluation. The results indicate
that MCPD esters may occur at high levels in a wide variety of food
products available on European market.