From FiS June 24 news, South Korean had recalled 12 kinds of imported krill oil products, import safety detection found that these products contain banned substances or excessive use of solvents. South Korea Public Health Supervision Agency will inspect the safety of imported krill oil feedstock.

The South Korea Public Health Supervision Agency urges consumers not to be deceived by false or hype advertisements about krill oil's ability to boost immunity.

Krill oil is extracted from an Antarctic krill and contains Omega-3 fatty acids, which are believed to reduce swelling, lower cholesterol, and lower platelet viscosity. However, scientific research supporting the efficacy of krill oil is limited, and studies have shown that Antarctic krill contains toxic residues.


Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in South Korea this year, krill oil products have become very popular, because of their attractive advertising. As a means of marketing, some importers and distributors claim that their products have been found to have enhanced immunity.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety suspended 12 of 42 krill oil products sold on the domestic market and demanded administrative penalties. 5 products contain excessive amounts of ethoxyquinoline for antioxidant processing, while 7 products contain prohibited solvents, such as ethyl acetate, isopropanol, and methanol, or contain large amounts of allowed solvents, such as hexane and acetone.

After testing, there are 5 products whose ethoxyquinoline content exceeds the standard value (0.2 mg/kg). The detection amount is from the lowest 0.5 mg/kg to the highest 2.5 mg/kg.

The extraction solvent is ethyl acetate and cannot be used for oil and fat extraction. The lowest of the three products is 15.7 mg/kg and the highest is 82.4 mg/kg. Isopropyl alcohol was 8.1 mg/kg and 13.7 mg/kg in the two products.

The amount of hexane used for the oil and fat extraction solvent of the two products was 51 mg/kg and 1072 mg/kg, which exceeded the standard value (5 mg/kg).

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is planning to collect and dispose of these products, as well as conduct administrative processing or investigations on production, import and distribution companies. In addition, every import must strengthen the safety management of the import customs clearance stage to ensure that consumers can safely consume krill oil products, detect ethoxyquin and extract solvents.

Korean stated in a statement that krill oil is not a body functional food, but a general food. Please not to be deceived by false or exaggerated advertisements.

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