I know a number of people here use liquid fish oils, and have also noticed that it gets cloudy after being refrigerated for some time. The cloudy bit of the oil tends to bug me for some reason, and it may be psychological but it doesn't seem to taste as good as the clear oil, so I wrote Carlson some questions. What I got back was:
To answer your questions, this product contains natural fatty acids, which may solidify at cooler temperatures, such as the refrigerator. This is a normal property of natural fish oils and does not warrant concern. The clouding of the oil can be eliminated by allowing the oil to warm a few degrees before use. This can be accomplished by leaving the oil out at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before use. (You must remember to return the bottle to the refrigerator until being used again.)
It is not necessary to shake the bottle as this causes air bubbles in the oil. Air will speed up oxidation and cause rancidity.
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I previously would shake the bottle, but air bubbles and oxidation doesn't sound so appealing to me. And warming the bottle each time I use it sounds like a pain, so I followed up with another question as to what if I didn't consume the cloudy oil at all.
To answer your questions......the cloudy portion at the bottom of the bottle is higher in non-omega-3 fatty acids, yet still contains some omega-3's. The clear portion is highest in omega 3's and therefore you are not missing anything by using this portion.
So... basically, it sounds like consuming the non-cloudy oil is fine, as it contains the highest omega 3s, and I'm not sure non-omega 3 fatty acids really have any health benefit anyway, do they? Perhaps it is healthier to avoid the cloudy oil, so one consume less extra fats not related to omega 3s?
