Strictly, no fishy burps: Why should you use odorless fish oil capsules | Fish Oil Blog

Fishy burps. Fishy taste. Fishy smell. How pleasant do they sound? Unpleasant, right? Yes. Some fish oil capsules, supplements etc can leave a fishy aftertaste or burps in you and you may feel bad after taking the supplement. This “fishy” smell or taste can be too unbearable for some people. This is why we should use fish oil that is odorless and does not leave a fishy aftertaste. But is that possible? And is the promise of odorless fish oil true? This article will explore on these lines.

Before that, why is it important to have a fish oil without fishy smell? This primarily because of the side effects of most of the fish oil brands. They cause gas, belching and bloating and hence, fishy burps caused during these conditions can leave an ugly smell in you.

Omega-3 odorless fish oil: One may wonder what causes the fishy aftertaste. Strictly speaking, not any good fish oil leaves odor after use. Yes! No high quality fish oil leaves a bitter taste after use. If there is a rancid or fishy taste, it maybe because of the defect in the oil production process or the fish used for the oil. In other words, fishy taste is not a result of taking any form of omega-3 supplements or fish oil. It is a result of the low quality of that brand of fish oil or the fish used in the making of the oil. In fact, there are many fish oil brands which do not leave a fishy aftertaste and these brands do not call themselves odorless. Why so? Simple. Fishy aftertaste is not directly related to the consumption of fish oil, but to the quality of the brand. If you are using a low quality omega-3 acid, you are liable to get a rancid smell or a fishy aftertaste. Like fish that goes rancid, fish oil too, when kept for a long time can go rancid. If the oil is not made from fresh fish, it can go rancid and leave a fishy aftertaste. Similarly there are several reasons on why a fish oil can smell foul or fishy. But everything boils down to this – fish oil that are not of high quality leave this fishy smell or aftertaste.

How to find odorless fish oil? There are several ways to find fish oil supplements that are odorless. Some of them are:

1. Break open an omega-3 capsule and check. If it does not leave any smell, then the oil inside the capsule is of high quality and it will not cause fishy burps in you. Some manufacturers use masking agents to help mask the smell of rancid oil and it is these agents which leave that fishy aftertaste.

2. Check the label for details. Better to thoroughly check what all is included in the capsule. If you are doubtful of any particular ingredient, subject the capsules to smell tests and then, find out their quality.

3. Check the production process and the Certificate of Analysis of oil used by the manufacturer. You can visit the manufacturer’s website to find this out. The oxidation level in the website will tell the rancidity of the oil. The lower the figure of oxidation, understand the oil is fresher and hence of higher quality.

The bottom line is to check the freshness of the oil and the fish used. If these are fresh, the oil will not smell rancid.