ABSTRACT
Mankind has been eating food from the oceans and freshwater bodies since recorded time; however, seafood has normally been considered a protein food with little appreciation given to the special nutritional value of the oil component. Vitamins A and D, although prevalent in fish, are normally concentrated in the visceral portion, primarily the liver. Hence, most fish butchered or processed for market contain relatively small amounts of these vitamins. Although marine lipids are somewhat different from vegetable oils, many of the techniques used to refine vegetable oils for the food and food supplement market are applicable to any edible oil. The best source of these fatty acids is oil from shellfish and finned fish. Research is continuing at a fast pace in many university, government, and private organizations in an effort to determine the metabolic effects of individual n-3 fatty acids in the body and to develop sources of high-quality fish oils.
