Preparative-scale liquid chromatographic separation of ω-3 fatty acids from fish oil sources

Abstract

A preparative-scale chromatographic process for the enrichment and isolation of closely related compounds such as ω-3 fatty acids from fish oil supplements is described. An analytical-scale procedure was scaled up to a preparative level process to provide a simple, rapid, selective and sensitive method for the fractionation of these essential acids. The fish oil triglycerides were saponified into their free fatty acids. The polyunsaturated fatty acids were then enriched through urea crystallization. Subsequently, the individual ω-3 fatty acids were fractionated on a Waters PrepPak unit consisting of six cartridges (μBondapak phenyl silica) using an isocratic ternary mobile phase of acetonitrile-water-tetrahydrofuran (45:35:20, v/v/v). The separation was accomplished within 60 min without any recycling of the solutes. The fractions collected were further analysed by analytical liquid chromatography. © 1995.