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TG, EE oder rTG: Die richtige Form für Ihre Formulierung

Buyers usually meet this question midway through a specification review, when two suppliers have quoted different forms at different prices for what looks like the same EPA/DHA ratio. The forms are not interchangeable, and the difference is not marketing.

Illustrative photography: Technical documents and ingredient research materials

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Das Wichtigste

  • TG is the natural form found in fish; it is the least concentrated and the most expensive per unit of EPA/DHA.
  • EE is the most concentrated and the cheapest per unit of omega-3, which is why it dominates high-concentration stock specifications.
  • rTG re-esterifies concentrate back onto glycerol; it costs more than EE and is chosen for absorption and sensory positioning rather than price.
  • The form changes the finished product's sensory profile, softgel size and label claims, so it has to be decided before the specification is locked.

Key takeaways

The form is decided by three constraints, in this order: the EPA/DHA ratio you need, the smallest softgel you can accept, and the absorption claim you intend to make.

TG form

Triglyceride is the form the oil takes in the fish. EPA and DHA sit on a glycerol backbone alongside other fatty acids, which is why naturally derived TG oil tops out around 30% total omega-3 before the concentration work becomes impractical.

Choose TG when the product is positioned on naturalness, when the label needs to say the oil is unchanged from its source, or when the EPA/DHA requirement is modest and cost per softgel is not the binding constraint.

EE form

Ethyl ester is what you get after transesterification and molecular distillation. The fatty acids are detached from glycerol, which is what allows concentration to climb to 90% and beyond.

The practical consequence is that EE carries more EPA and DHA per milligram of oil than any other form. For a fixed softgel size, an EE specification delivers the highest dose, and for a fixed dose, it delivers the smallest softgel. That is the reason high-concentration stock specifications are usually written in EE.

The trade-off is digestive: EE is absorbed through an additional enzymatic conversion step, so it is conventionally taken with a meal that contains fat.

rTG form

Re-esterified triglyceride takes EE concentrate and puts the fatty acids back onto a glycerol backbone. You keep most of the concentration and recover the triglyceride structure.

rTG is the form to specify when absorption and sensory profile both matter – premium consumer positioning, or a product where the customer will notice the absence of a fishy aftertaste. It costs more than EE and generally tops out below the EE concentration ceiling, because the re-esterification step consumes some of the gain.

Choosing the molecular form

Work through the constraints in order rather than starting from price:

  1. State the dose. How much EPA and DHA must one serving carry? This is usually fixed by the health claim or the target consumer, not by the supplier.
  2. State the maximum unit size. A 1000 mg softgel is a marketing limit as much as a manufacturing one. If the required dose does not fit, the form has to change.
  3. Decide the claim. If the label will discuss absorption or natural structure, rTG or TG is the honest choice.
  4. Then compare price. Only once the first three are settled is the per-unit cost comparison meaningful, because you are no longer comparing like with like.

Specifications and quality details

Whichever form is selected, the specification has to pin down more than the EPA/DHA ratio:

  • Total omega-3, not just the two headline fatty acids, because the remainder affects both labelling and cost.
  • Oxidation limits – peroxide value, anisidine value and TOTOX – declared against your own release procedure rather than a generic default.
  • Antioxidant system, since it changes the shelf-life claim and occasionally the label.
  • Contaminant limits for the destination market, including heavy metals, PCBs, dioxins and, for some markets, MOSH/MOAH.

Specification checklist

A form comparison is only useful if the rest of the specification is settled. Before requesting a quotation, confirm:

  • Total omega-3 and the EPA/DHA split
  • Molecular form, and whether it is fixed or open to substitution
  • Oxidation limits and the antioxidant system
  • Contaminant limits for the destination market
  • Packing size, annual volume and Incoterms
  • The document set required for import and registration

Documents and certificates

Ask for a batch COA before approving a specification, not after. A COA tells you what the process actually delivered, and comparing it against the published specification sheet is the fastest way to find out whether a supplier is describing stock material or a best case.

FAQ

See the answers above for the questions buyers raise most often when comparing forms.

The listings below link to the specifications most often quoted against this decision, plus the sourcing guides that cover the commercial side.

Next step

Request product information

Send the specification you are evaluating and the market you supply, and we will reply with the relevant documents.

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