REDUCTION OF ORGANOCHLORINE CONTAMINANTS FROM FISH-OIL DURING REFINING

Samples of crude fish oil have been refined, and the crude fish oil to gether with samples taken out after each step of the refining process have been analysed for organochlorine pesticides and PCB (quantified b oth as CB congeners and total PCB). The levels of organochlorine conta minants in fish oils remain almost constant during the neutralisation and bleaching steps of the refining process. The deodorisation step se ems to cause a decrease in the amount of contaminants, especially for the most volatile compounds (a-HCH, lindane, HCB) where the levels wer e reduced to below the detection level. Concentrations of the less vol atile organochlorine pesticides (dieldrin, p,p'-DDE and p,p'-DDD) and PCB are reduced to about half the concentration in the crude fish oil. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.