Interim Revision Announcement

Official January 1, 2016 Omega-3-Acid 1

. CU = concentration of Omega-3-Acid Ethyl Esters in

Test solution 3 (g/mL)
Omega-3-Acid Ethyl Esters Calculate the content of total omega-3-acid ethyl
esters in the portion of Omega-3-Acid Ethyl Esters
DEFINITION taken:

Change to read: Result = rFAn−3ee [(EPAee + DHAee)/(rEPAee + rDHAee)] + EPAee

+ DHAee
•Omega-3-Acid Ethyl Esters is a mixture of ethyl esters,
.

rFAn− = sum of the peak areas of alpha-linolenic acid

principally the ethyl esters of eicosapentaenoic acid 3ee ethyl ester (C18:3 n−3, EE), moroctic acid
(EPAee) (C20:5 n−3, EE) and docosahexaenoic acid ethyl ester (C18:4 n−3, EE), eicosatetraenoic
(DHAee) (C22:6 n−3, EE). It may also contain ethyl esters acid ethyl ester (C20:4 n−3, EE),
of alpha-linolenic acid (C18:3 n−3, EE), moroctic acid heneicosapentaenoic acid ethyl ester (C21:5
(C18:4 n−3, EE), eicosatetraenoic acid (C20:4 n−3, EE), n−3, EE), and docosapentaenoic acid ethyl
heneicosapentaenoic acid (C21:5 n−3, EE), and ester (C22:5 n−3, EE) in Test solution 4
docosapentaenoic acid (C22:5 n−3, EE). Tocopherol may EPAee = content of EPAee (mg/g)
be added as an antioxidant.• (IRA 1-Jan-2016) DHAee = content of DHAee (mg/g)
IDENTIFICATION rEPAee = peak area of EPAee in Test solution 4
rDHAee = peak area of DHAee in Test solution 4
Acceptance criteria: It conforms to the acceptance cri-
Change to read: teria in Table 1. •Articles labeled as Omega-3-Acid Ethyl
.

Esters type A meet Acceptance Criteria II.

• A. The retention times of the •principal peaks• (IRA 1-Jan-
•4• (IRA 1-Jan-2016) correspond to those •
.

2016) in Test solution . .

Table 1
of eicosapentaenoic acid ethyl ester and docosahexae-
noic acid ethyl ester• (IRA 1-Jan-2016) in Standard solution •1b .
Acceptance
and Standard solution 1a,• (IRA 1-Jan-2016) as obtained in the Criteria II
Assay. (For articles
labeled as
Omega-3-
Add the following: Acid Ethyl
Acceptance Esters type
•• B. It meets the acceptance criteria in Table 1 of the
.

Criteria I A)
Assay.• (IRA 1-Jan-2016) Relative
Retention
ASSAY
Name Time NLT NMT NLT NMT
C18:3 n−3, EEa . 0.585 — — — —
Change to read: C18:4 n−3, EEb . 0.608 — — — —
C20:4 n−3, EEc 0.777 — — — —
• CONTENT OF EPAEE, DHAEE, AND TOTAL OMEGA-3-ACID
.

430 495 365 435

ETHYL ESTERS
C20:5 n−3, EE mg/ mg/ mg/ mg/
(See Fats and Fixed Oils 〈401〉, Omega-3 Fatty Acids De-
(EPAee)d 0.796 g g g g
termination and Profile.) .

•Standard solution 1a, Standard solution 1b, Test so-

.
C21:5 n−3, EEe . 0.889 — — — —
lution 3, Test solution 4, System suitability solution C22:5 n−3, EEf . 0.977 — — — —
1, Chromatographic system, and System suitability: 347 403 290 360
Proceed as directed in Fats and Fixed Oils 〈401〉, C22:6 n−3, EE mg/ mg/ mg/ mg/
Omega-3 Fatty Acids Determination and Profile.• (IRA 1-Jan- (DHAee)g . 1.000 g g g g
2016) 800 880 700 749
Analysis — mg/ mg/ mg/ mg/
Samples: •Standard solution 1a, Standard solution 1b,
.

EPAee + DHAee g g g g
Test solution 3, and Test solution 4• (IRA 1-Jan-2016) Total omega-3- 90% 78%
Calculate the content of EPAee and DHAee in the por- acid ethyl — (w/ — (w/ —
tion of Omega-3-Acid Ethyl Esters taken: esters w) w)
a Alpha-linolenic acid ethyl ester.
Result = (RU/RS) × (CS/CU) .

b Moroctic acid ethyl ester.

.

c Eicosatetraenoic acid ethyl ester.

RU = peak area ratio of the EPAee or DHAee peak to .

d Eicosapentaenoic acid ethyl ester.

the internal standard peak from Test solution .

e Heneicosapentaenoic acid ethyl ester.

3
= peak area ratio of the EPAee •peak to the
.

f Docosapentaenoic acid ethyl ester (clupanodonic acid ethyl ester).

RS .
.

g Docosahexaenoic acid ethyl ester.

internal standard peak from Standard solution .

1b• (IRA 1-Jan-2016) or DHAee peak to the internal

standard peak from •Standard solution
.
• (IRA 1-Jan-2016)
1a• (IRA 1-Jan-2016) IMPURITIES
CS = concentration of USP Eicosapentaenoic Acid • FATS AND FIXED OILS 〈401〉: NMT 0.1 ppm each of lead
Ethyl Ester RS •in Standard solution 1b• (IRA 1-
.

(Pb), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), and mercury (Hg)

Jan-2016) or USP Docosahexaenoic Acid Ethyl
Ester RS in •Standard solution 1a• (IRA 1-Jan-2016)
.

(mg/mL)

2015 The United States Pharmacopeial Convention All Rights Reserved.

 Interim Revision Announcement
2 Omega-3-Acid Official January 1, 2016

Change to read: Table 2• (IRA 1-Jan-2016)

Hold Time
• CHOLESTEROL Initial Tempera- Final at Final
Internal standard stock solution: 3 mg/mL of 5α- Tempera- ture Tempera- Tempera-
cholestane in n-heptane. [NOTE—Prepare fresh before ture Ramp ture ture
use.] (°) (°/min) (°) (min)
Internal standard solution: 0.3 mg/mL of 5α-choles- 170 0 170 1
tane in n-heptane. [NOTE—Prepare fresh before use.] 170 4 320 1.5
Standard stock solution: 3.0 mg/mL of cholesterol in
n-heptane. [NOTE—This solution is stable for 6 months Carrier gas: Helium
stored in a freezer.] Transfer 1.0 mL of this solution to Flow rate: 1.3 mL/min
a 10.0-mL volumetric flask. Dilute with n-heptane to Injection volume: 1 µL
volume. [NOTE—Prepare this solution fresh daily.] Injection type: Splitless injection system
Standard solution: Transfer 1.0 mL each of the Stan- System suitability
dard stock solution and the Internal standard solution to Sample: System suitability solution
a 15-mL centrifuge tube. Prepare as directed in the Suitability requirements
Sample solution beginning with “Evaporate to dryness”. Resolution: NLT 1.2 between alpha tocopherol and
Alpha tocopherol stock solution: 1.5–2.0 mg/mL of cholesterol
USP Alpha Tocopherol RS in n-heptane. [NOTE—This so- Analysis
lution is stable for 12 months stored in a freezer.] Samples: Standard solution and Sample solution
System suitability solution: Mix 1.0 mL of the Stan- Calculate the content of total cholesterol in the portion
dard stock solution, 1.0 mL of the Internal standard of Omega-3-Acid Ethyl Esters taken:
stock solution, and 2.0 mL of the Alpha tocopherol stock
solution in a 50-mL volumetric flask. Evaporate to dry- Result = (RU/RS) × (WS/WU)
ness with the aid of heat, and dilute with ethyl acetate
to volume. Dilute 1.0 mL of this solution with ethyl RU = peak area ratio of the cholesterol peak to the
acetate to 10.0 mL. [NOTE—This solution is stable for 6 internal standard from the Sample solution
months stored in a freezer.] RS = peak area ratio of the cholesterol peak to the
Sample solution: Transfer 100 mg of Omega-3-Acid internal standard from the Standard solution
Ethyl Esters to a 15-mL centrifuge tube. Add 1.0 mL of WS = weight of cholesterol in the Standard solution
the Internal standard solution. Evaporate to dryness at (mg)
about 50° with a gentle stream of nitrogen. Add WU = weight of Omega-3-Acid Ethyl Esters in the
0.5 mL of 50% potassium hydroxide and 3 mL of alco- Sample solution (g)
hol, fill the tube with nitrogen, and cap. Heat the sam- Acceptance criteria: NMT 3.0 mg/g
ple at 100° for 60 min, using a heating block. Cool for • OLIGOMERS
about 10 min. Add 6 mL of water to the tube, and Mobile phase: Tetrahydrofuran
shake for 1 min. Extract the solution four times with System suitability solution: Monodocosahexaenoin,
2.5-mL portions of ethyl ether, using a vortex mixer or didocosahexaenoin, and tridocosahexaenoin in Mobile
suitable shaker for 1 min for each extraction. Transfer phase, with concentrations of about 0.5, 0.3, and
and combine the extracts into a large centrifuge tube, 0.2 mg/mL, respectively. [NOTE—Suitable grades of
and wash with 5 mL of water, mixing completely with monodocosahexaenoin, didocosahexaenoin, and
gentle inversion. Remove the water phase, and add tridocosahexaenoin may be obtained from Nu-Chek
5 mL of 0.5 M potassium hydroxide to the ether Prep.]
phase, mixing carefully to avoid an emulsion. Remove Sample solution 1: 5.0 mg/mL of Omega-3-Acid Ethyl
the potassium hydroxide, and add another 5 mL of Esters in tetrahydrofuran
water, mixing carefully. Transfer the ether phase to a Sample solution 2: [NOTE—Use Sample solution 2
small centrifuge tube. [NOTE—If an emulsion has oc- where the results of this test using Sample solution 1
curred, a small amount of sodium chloride may be exceed the Acceptance criteria due to the presence of
added to obtain a separation of the phases.] Evaporate monoglycerides.] Weigh 50 mg of Omega-3-Acid Ethyl
the ether phase to dryness under a stream of nitrogen Esters into a quartz tube, add 1.5 mL of a 20-g/L solu-
with careful heating. Dissolve the sample in 600 µL of tion of sodium hydroxide in methanol, cover with ni-
ethyl acetate, and mix well. Transfer 200 µL of this so- trogen, cap tightly with a polytef-lined cap, mix, and
lution to a sample vial, and dilute with ethyl acetate to heat on a water bath for 7 min. Allow to cool. Add
about 2 mL. 2.0 mL of boron trichloride–methanol solution, cover
Chromatographic system with nitrogen, cap tightly, mix, and heat on a water
(See Chromatography 〈621〉, System Suitability.) bath for 30 min. Cool to 40°–50°, add 1 mL of isooc-
Mode: GC tane, cap, and shake vigorously for NLT 30 s. Immedi-
Detector: Flame ionization ately add 5 mL of saturated sodium chloride solution,
Column: 0.25-mm × 30-m capillary; coated with a cover with nitrogen, cap, and shake thoroughly for
G27 phase of 0.25-µm thickness NLT 15 s. Transfer the upper layer to a separate tube.
Temperatures Shake the methanol layer with 1 mL of isooctane. Wash
Injection port: 320° the combined isooctane extracts with two quantities,
Detector: 300° each of 1 mL of water. Carefully evaporate the solvent
Column: See •Table 2.
.

under a stream of nitrogen, then add 10.0 mL of tetra-

hydrofuran to the residue. Add a small amount of an-
hydrous sodium sulfate, and filter.
Chromatographic system
(See Chromatography 〈621〉, System Suitability.)

2015 The United States Pharmacopeial Convention All Rights Reserved.

Interim Revision Announcement
Official January 1, 2016 Omega-3-Acid 3

Mode: LC Table 3• (IRA 1-Jan-2016) (Continued)

Detector: Differential refractometer Identified Ethyl Ester Relative Retention Time
Columns: Three concatenated, 7.8-mm × 30-cm;
7-µm packing L21, with pore sizes in the range of C18:3 n−4 0.574
5–50 nm, arranged with decreasing pore size from C18:3 n−3 0.585
the injector to the detector to fulfill the system suita- C18:4 n−3 0.608
bility requirements C18:4 n−1 0.618
Flow rate: 0.8 mL/min Furan acid 5 0.691
Injection volume: 40 µL C19:5 0.710
System suitability
Sample: System suitability solution C20:3 n−6 0.720
Suitability requirements C20:4 n−6 0.736
Elution order: Tridocosahexaenoin, didocosahexae- Furan acid 7 0.744
noin, and monodocosahexaenoin C20:4 n−3 0.777
Resolution: NLT 2.0 between monodocosahexaenoin Furan acid 8 0.783
and didocosahexaenoin; NLT 1.0 between EPA 0.796
didocosahexaenoin and tridocosahexaenoin
Analysis Furan acid 9 0.867
Samples: Sample solution 1 and Sample solution 2 C21:5 n−3 0.889
Measure the areas of the major peaks. C22:4 0.917
Calculate the percentage of oligomers in the portion of Furan acid 10 0.922
Omega-3-Acid Ethyl Esters taken to prepare Sample C22:5 n−6 0.939
solution 1: Furan acid 11 0.963
Result = (rI/rT) × 100 C22:5 n−3 0.977
DHA 1.000
rI = sum of the areas of the peaks with a retention
time less than that of the ethyl esters peaks Calculate the content of unidentified fatty acid ethyl es-
rT = sum of the areas of all peaks ters in area percentage:
Calculate the percentage of oligomers in the portion of
Omega-3-Acid Ethyl Esters taken to prepare Sample Result = 100 − (100 × Σ Aiee/rT)
solution 2:
Aiee = peak area of each identified ethyl ester in
Result = (rI/rT) × 100
•Table 3• (IRA 1-Jan-2016)
.

rT = sum of the areas of all peaks except solvents

rI = sum of the areas of all peaks with a retention and BHT
time less than that of the methyl esters peaks Acceptance criteria: The area of the largest single un-
rT = sum of the areas of all peaks identified peak is NMT 0.5% of the total area. The to-
Acceptance criteria: NMT 1.0% of oligomers tal area of unidentified peaks as calculated above is
• LIMIT OF DIOXINS, FURANS, AND POLYCHLORINATED BIPHEN- NMT 2%.
YLS (PCBS): Determine the content of polychlorinated
dibenzo-para-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated Add the following:
dibenzofurans (PCDFs) by method No. 1613 revision B
of the Environmental Protection Agency. Determine the •• LIMIT OF NON-OMEGA-3-ACID ETHYL ESTERS
content of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) by method .

[NOTE—This test is only required for the articles labeled

No. 1668 revision A of the Environmental Protection as Omega-3-Acid Ethyl Esters type A.]
Agency. From the chromatogram obtained with Test solution 4 in
Acceptance criteria: The sum of PCDDs and PCDFs is the Assay for Content of EPAee, DHAee, and Total
NMT 1 pg/g of WHO toxic equivalents. The sum of Omega-3-Acid Ethyl Esters, calculate the amounts of
PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls, IUPAC congeners C18:1 n−9 ethyl ester and C20:4 n−6 ethyl ester in the
PCB-28, PCB-52, PCB-101, PCB-118, PCB-138, PCB- portion of Omega-3-Acid Ethyl Esters taken:
153, and PCB-180) is NMT 0.5 ppm.
Result = (Aiee/rT) × 100
Change to read:
Aiee = peak area of C18:1 n−9 ethyl ester or C20:4
• LIMIT OF TOTAL UNIDENTIFIED FATTY ACID ETHYL ESTERS n−6 ethyl ester
•[NOTE—This test is not required for the articles labeled rT = sum of the areas of all peaks except solvents
and BHT
.

as Omega-3-Acid Ethyl Esters type A.]• (IRA 1-Jan-2016)

From the chromatogram obtained with Test solution 4 in Acceptance criteria
the Assay for Content of EPAee, DHAee, and Total C18:1 n−9 ethyl ester: NMT 6.0%
Omega-3-Acid Ethyl Esters, determine the peak area of C20:4 n−6 ethyl ester: NMT 4.0%• (IRA 1-Jan-2016)
the largest single unidentified peak with a relative re- SPECIFIC TESTS
tention time different from those in •Table 3.
.

• FATS AND FIXED OILS 〈401〉, Acid Value: NMT 2.0

• FATS AND FIXED OILS 〈401〉, Anisidine Value: NMT 15
Table 3• (IRA 1-Jan-2016) • FATS AND FIXED OILS 〈401〉, Peroxide Value: NMT 10.0
Identified Ethyl Ester Relative Retention Time • ABSORBANCE
Sample solution: Transfer 300 mg, accurately
Phytanic acid 0.416
weighed, to a 50-mL volumetric flask. Dissolve in and
C16:3 n−4 0.431 dilute immediately with isooctane to volume. Pipet
C16:4 n−1 0.468 2.0 mL into a 50-mL volumetric flask, and dilute with
C18:3 n−6 0.557 isooctane to volume.

2015 The United States Pharmacopeial Convention All Rights Reserved.

 Interim Revision Announcement
4 Omega-3-Acid Official January 1, 2016

Acceptance criteria: NMT 0.55, determined at 233 Assay and the Limit of Non-Omega-3-Acid Ethyl Esters are
nm, with isooctane being used as the blank labeled as Omega-3-Acid Ethyl Esters type A.• (IRA 1-Jan-2016)
• USP REFERENCE STANDARDS 〈11〉
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS USP Docosahexaenoic Acid Ethyl Ester RS
• PACKAGING AND STORAGE: Preserve in tight, light-resistant All cis-4,7,10,13,16,19-docosahexaenoic ethyl ester.
containers under a nitrogen atmosphere. Store at con- C24H36O2 356.55
trolled room temperature. USP Eicosapentaenoic Acid Ethyl Ester RS
All cis-5,8,11,14,17-eicosapentaenoic ethyl ester.
Change to read: C22H34O2 330.51
USP Methyl Tricosanoate RS
• LABELING: The label states the content of DHA ethyl es- Tricosanoic acid methyl ester.
ter and EPA ethyl ester in mg/g, the sum of the EPA and C24H48O2 368.64
DHA ethyl esters contents in mg/g, and the content of USP Alpha Tocopherol RS
the total omega-3-acid ethyl esters in weight percentage
(w/w). It also states the name of any added antioxidant.
•Articles intended to meet Acceptance Criteria II of the
.

2015 The United States Pharmacopeial Convention All Rights Reserved.