How do I find out? Or, rather, how bad would the smell be?
The best before date is early 2009, so it should obviously be fine. I'd rather be sure, though, since taking no fish oil is much better than taking rancid oil!
It's in gelcaps, refrigerated. I cut one open, and smelled it; not too bad (not pleasant, though).
The saying is usually "if it's rancid - you'll know". I suppose that means I'm just overly paranoid then?
Last edited by Tranquillity; 12-18-2007 at 04:51 AM.
Reason: Spelling
Sounds fine to me. I have had them go bad on me, but only when traveling. How did I know?
The capsule was squishy. I stupidly swallowed it anyway. Then I puked 15 minutes later, then I was fine.
So, if they've been in a bottle in the fridge, the outer capsules are still reasonably firm, and your sample smells lemony fresh, should be safe. If you feel sick afterward, I was wrong. (But I really think that's unlikely.)
What I used to do, when taking fish oil in capsule form, is simply: taste it.
Break open a capsule and taste the oil.
If it has no taste, or a slight fishy taste, it's probably fine. If it tastes like something completely revolting, it's rancid. Most fish oils I've tried have never been rancid, but I did run across two bottles. One time I tasted the contents and it tasted like something out of a sewer (clearly bad). Another time I didn't taste the fish oil, but noticed something was weird when I was getting stomach aches after taking the pills. I smelled the bottle, and... well, it didn't smell so good, so I just threw the remainder away.
I currently use fish oil in liquid form, so it's a lot easier to tell if the oil is good or not.
