Fresh and Pure

Rosita is a unique company made up of fishermen who originally went to sea in rowing boats, with fishing histories stretching all the way back to the whaling days. They have spent years fishing in the wild, pristine Norwegian waters, and are intent on maintaining and preserving the fishing methods of their forefathers. It is therefore no surprise to learn that Rosita has many years of experience in producing raw liver oils including their unique ratfish liver oil.

Why raw? Because Rosita strongly believes that marine oils produced “without” the use of heat and chemicals, and at low temperatures, have a greater effect on health than oils produced using heat, distillation, or chemical treatment. And research is beginning to support this.

However, Rosita was well aware that ratfish liver oil and other shark liver oils differ considerably from cod liver oil. So there were two challenges that needed to be addressed before they could begin producing raw cod liver oil.

The First Challenge: Rancidity

This focused around the issue of rancidity. Cod liver oil is a rich source of DHA and EPA and a high concentration of these polyunsaturated fatty acids makes the oil susceptible to oxidation. Increasing oxidation levels have been correlated with increasing concentrations of EPA and DHA. Cod liver oil also contains lower levels of antioxidants that retard oxidation in comparison to ratfish liver oil. Cod liver oil can start to go rancid within 1 hour after it is released from the liver. Rancid fish oils, whether nutrient rich or not, can have a pro-oxidant effect within the body. Research indicates that rancid oils may also inhibit the cells’ own antioxidant system and reduces the inflammation-inhibiting effect of omega-3 fatty acids in cell models. Even more worrying is the fact that rancid fats have been implicated in increased rates of heart disease, atherosclerosis and are possibly carcinogenic. After 2+ years of hard work, Rosita was able to come up with a natural solution to successfully prevent rancidity. We addressed this topic in more detail here.

The Second Challenge: Contamination

The focus was then shifted to the issue of organic contaminants and heavy metals in wild cod fish caught off the coast of Norway. This is a problem considering the fact that approximately 650 tons of marine oils are typically sold for human consumption in Norway per year, and one in three Norwegians consume such oils. PCBs accumulate in fat tissue and their levels in fish are a concern that prompted health authorities worldwide to warn pregnant women not to consume some species. Heavy metals may also be an issue although to-date Rosita has not encountered any problems as levels have either not been detected (below the limit of quantification) or well below EU requirements. It is true that during certain seasons, cod livers contain a high percentage of fat and studies from NIFES and a Norwegian Aquaculture Research Institute which specialises in marine raw materials and products have shown that cod livers and raw (non-purified) cod liver oil contain high levels of PCBs and pesticides. See more at: http://www.thefishsite.com/fishnews/18438/high-levels-of-pcbs-in-cod-liver-from-lensfjord#sthash.EyGCEoOr.dpuf

Contamination problems are typically addressed by the use of conventional industrial purification methods which can often involve heating the oil to very high temperatures (>200 °C). They do a good job of removing contaminants out of the oil. Unfortunately, this kind of processing can result in unwanted heat-induced reactions, evaporation of minor nutritional components and volatile nutrients; as well as affecting the retention of vitamins, cholesterol, unsaponifiable compounds, PUFA levels/quality, oxidation levels and oxidative stability. Rosita has often stated that there is no way such a product could be called natural.

Rosita oils have also been analyzed by Universities, leading European Institutes and Government-Linked research Scientists, some of whom are involved in monitoring the quality of fish oils. Rosita oils have been tested for Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) including pesticides (such as DDT), industrial chemicals (such as polychlorinated biphenyls, PCBs) and unintentional by-products of industrial processes (such as dioxins and furans). They have also been tested for heavy metals and microbiological contamination.

The test results for Rosita EVCLO have consistently come back with very low levels of contaminants, and are fully compliant with stringent European Commission and WHO rules on environmental pollutants.

How does Rosita address the potential problem of organic contaminants?

Once Rosita applies its ancient extraction technique, and the oil “naturally” separates from the livers, a sample of oil is taken for analysis to a professional institute including a Norwegian Aquaculture Research Institute which specialises in marine raw materials and products, NIFES (National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research ), ALS Food & Pharmaceutical (United Kingdom) etc. If contamination levels are found to exceed the stringent European requirements then Rosita will use a method which is 100% natural, environmentally friendly, and retains ALL the vitamins, antioxidants and the oils natural fatty acid composition. Everything is done with respect for nature. The whole process occurs without the use of any heat or chemicals. All that is required is a biological polysaccharide that occurs naturally in the ocean, and found in certain marine organisms, which has the ability to bind to organic contaminants.

The goal of producing EVCLO was to capture the fresh oil, while keeping all of the vitamins, fats and other nutrients as they exist in nature. That was the easy part.

The challenge was protecting against rancidity and ensuring contaminants meet the strict EU criteria.

Rosita was able to successfully deal with these two issues by using totally natural methods. Click here to view our comprehensive test results for nutrients, rancidity and contaminants.

Fresh is the best.

As world leading researcher on marine oils, Gjermund Vogt, has stated: “We are already seeing indications that cells thrive best with fresh fish oil with little rancidity.”

You can be assured that when you buy a bottle of Rosita EVCLO, it will be fresh and very low in undesirable substances. And most importantly, it will be Genuine Norwegian Handcrafted Cod Liver Oil produced using an ancient production method, that is Wild & Raw, and true to their ancestors!

Click here to buy EVCLO.