Evaluation of oxidative quality of EPA- and DHA-containing health functional foods marketed in Korea and analytical limitations associated with multi-formulation matrices

Key Points

• The research aims to assess the oxidative quality of EPA and DHA health functional foods and analyze limitations linked to complex formulations.
• Analyzed 62 EPA and DHA-containing health functional food products available in Korea.
• Assessed oxidative indicators including peroxide value (PV), anisidine value (p-AV), and total oxidation value (TOTOX).
• Compared results across different product formulations to identify potential analytical limitations.
• 29.0% of products exceeded acceptable peroxide value (PV) limits, indicating possible oxidation during distribution.
• 17.7% of products had higher anisidine value (p-AV) than the standard, particularly in products containing flavoring and coloring agents.
• Lower remaining shelf life was associated with significantly higher PV in the analyzed products.

Abstract