Synthesis of fish oil without killing animals

Question

Fish oil is used as a dietary supplement or used to treat certain health conditions, and it is also used a lot as a substance from which pharmaceutical drugs are derived and then sold as drugs.

I would like to know at what stage we're at in the process of synthesizing fish oil in the same way as lab meat is synthesized using stem cell research without killing any animals.

I think this is important. It would be ethical, and cater towards the replenishment of fish in oceans and perhaps even rivers, avoiding their extinction and allowing newer generations to coexist with their flourishing.

Answer 1

There's actually some good research that's being done on the best ways to synthesize omega-3 fatty acids, which is the key ingredient in fish oil that folks want. Check out this academic review from NCBI for more info.

Basically, investing more in algae-based products is a win. Not just for omega-3s, but for other dietary supplements as well. Seaweed is delish. :)

Lenihan-Geels G, Bishop KS, Ferguson LR. Alternative sources of omega-3 fats: can we find a sustainable substitute for fish?. Nutrients. 2013;5(4):1301-1315. Published 2013 Apr 18. doi:10.3390/nu5041301