Seafood
Fish oil
Fish oil comes from the by-products of tuna and small pelagic processing. Buyers focus on the omega-3 content and the number that actually decides quality is oxidation, because a rancid oil is worthless whatever its fatty acid profile says.
How it leaves the country.
- Crude fish oil
- Straight from the rendering, unrefined. Cheaper, darker, and it requires refining before any human consumption use.
- Refined and deodorised
- Cleaned of impurities and odour. What supplement and food manufacturers buy.
- Concentrated
- Omega-3 fraction concentrated by further processing. A specialist product with a specialist price.
- Feed grade
- For aquaculture and animal feed, with a different and generally lower specification.
How it is graded.
Four numbers do most of the work, and the two everybody quotes are not the two that matter most.
- Peroxide value
- Primary oxidation. It rises from the moment the oil is made, so a figure from three months ago describes a different oil.
- Anisidine value
- Secondary oxidation, which peroxide value alone misses. An oil can show a low peroxide value and be thoroughly oxidised, which is why both are specified.
- Free fatty acid
- Indicates how fresh the raw material was before rendering. High values point at fish that sat warm.
- EPA and DHA content
- The omega-3 figure buyers ask about first. It is a composition question rather than a quality one.
- Heavy metals and dioxins
- Marine oils concentrate contaminants. Testing on the shipped lot is what keeps the consignment out of trouble at a border.
- Raw material
- Which species and whether it came from a food grade line. It decides both the profile and the contaminant risk.
How it is packed.
- Full drums with nitrogen
- Oxygen in the headspace oxidises the oil. Nitrogen flushing and full drums are standard practice for anyone serious.
- Temperature
- Heat accelerates oxidation. A dry container crossing the tropics is the worst environment for this product.
- New or certified-clean drums
- Reused drums with residues contaminate a food grade oil.
- Age at loading
- Ask when it was produced rather than only what it tested at. The clock started at rendering.
Where it grows.
Bitung and North Sulawesi
Sulawesi
Tuna processing at scale, so the by-product stream that feeds oil production is there.
East Java
Java
Processing near the Muncar and Java landing sites, with rendering capacity attached.
North Sumatra
Sumatra
Fisheries processing with a route out through Belawan.
Documentation, where applicable.
- Certificate of analysis
- Peroxide value, anisidine value, free fatty acid, fatty acid profile, heavy metals and dioxins on the shipped lot.
- Health certificate
- A product of animal origin, so most regulated markets require one and an approved establishment.1
- HACCP certificate
- Raw material temperature control and rendering conditions are the controls that matter.2
- Safety data sheet
- Fish oil in bulk can self-heat depending on the material and the packaging. Establish the transport position before booking.
Questions buyers ask.
Why test anisidine value as well as peroxide?
Because peroxides break down as oxidation progresses, so a badly oxidised oil can show a low peroxide value. The two together describe the state of the oil and either alone can mislead you.
Does a high omega-3 figure mean good oil?
No. Composition and freshness are separate questions, and a high EPA and DHA oil that has oxidised is unusable. Buyers who specify only the omega-3 figure are specifying the wrong thing.
Can I buy crude and refine it myself?
If you have the capability, yes, and it is how much of the trade works. Without it, buy refined and specify the freshness numbers on arrival rather than at production.
What does your service cost?
Five per cent of the order value, paid by you and never by the factory. A factory audit starts at $250 depending on location. We work with orders from $10,000 per shipment.
Tell us what you need.
Give us the specification and the destination port. We come back with producer options and an indicative price. Our fee is 5 % of the order value, paid by you and never by the factory.
Sources
- 1TRACES modules and features. European Commission, DG Health and Food Safety. Checked 3 August 2026.
- 2General principles of food hygiene and the HACCP system. Codex Alimentarius, FAO and WHO. Checked 3 August 2026.