Genotoxicity test and subchronic toxicity study with Superba™ krill oil in rats

• Krill oil is a safe dietary source of omega-3 fatty acids.
• The no adverse effect level (NOAL) of krill oil was 5%.
• Krill oil showed no mutagenic activity in bacteria.

The safety of krill oil was assessed in a subchronic toxicity study and in a genotoxicity test. In a 13-week study, rats were fed krill oil or control diets. There were no differences noted in body weight, food consumption or in the functional observation battery parameters in either gender. Differences in both haematology and clinical chemistry values were noted in the krill oil-treated groups. However these findings were of no toxicological significance. Significant decreases in absolute and covariant heart weight in some krill oil-treated animals were noted although no corresponding histological changes were observed. In addition, periportal microvesicular hepatocyte vacuolation was noted histologically in males fed 5% krill oil. This finding was not associated with other indications of hepatic dysfunction. Given that the effects of the 13-week toxicity study were non-toxic in nature, the no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) for the conditions of this study was considered to be 5% krill oil. The genotoxicity experiments documented no mutagenicity of krill oil in bacteria.