Supercritical carbon dioxide fractionation of fish oil fatty acid ethyl esters

Fractionation of fish oil fatty acid ethyl esters was investigated with the aim of obtaining a lipid fraction enriched in ω-3 fatty acids and with a suitable EPA/DHA ratio. The results obtained highlight the possibility of modifying the original fatty acid ethyl esters concentration by optimizing the extraction conditions in terms of pressure, temperature, and supercritical carbon dioxide flow rate. Supercritical fluid fractionation (SFF) appears to be a useful processing technique for changing the composition of lipids in order to obtain high value functional products. The use of proper fractionation temperatures and pressures along the column influenced the solvent-to-feed ratio to obtain fractions with suitable composition for market requirements.