The Safety Assessment of Trace Elements in Omega-3 Fish Oil Products Commonly Used for Infants in Jordan

MAX 250 words Omega-3 fatty acids play an essential role in the growth and development of infants. Fish oil products containing omega-3s are OTC products and also prescribed repeatedly by pediatricians to enhance infants’ immunity and growth and are easily accessible by parents. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the levels of 18 trace elements in seven fish oil products currently used for infants in Jordan. Two types of sample digestion methods were evaluated to detect the amounts of these metals in the fish oil products including: closed-microwave and open-wet methods, then the samples were analyzed by using a validated ICP-OES with LODs ranging from 0.05 ng/mL for Zn up to 320 ng/mL for Ni. The results showed a comparable level for elements detection using both digestion methods, which revealed that both digestion methods could be used interchangeably for preparing fish oil products. All detected elements (Al, Zn, Cu, and Cd) in tested products were within permitted levels according to the WHO criteria for the acceptable amounts of toxic elements and the ranges were 0.004 – 0.820, 26.02 – 0.229, 35.03 – 0.033, and 0.029 – 0.0001 μg.mL−1 for Al, Zn, Cu, and Cd respectively. The daily tolerated consumption limit established by the regulatory agencies was not exceeded by the levels of metals identified through fish oil products. The data obtained from this study show the importance of testing element levels in fish oil products as a routine procedure to assure products safety. -