ABSTRACT
The effects of fish oils in the diet have been studied extensively, and evidence is accumulating that eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and other polyunsaturated fatty acids may have a therapeutic effect on the cardiovascular system. Supercritical fluid fractionation of fish oils is based on principles first reported over 100 years ago, viz., that many gases and liquids at condition above their critical points are solvents exhibiting pressure-dependent dissolving powers. Supercritical fluid extraction is being used commercially to decaf-feinate coffee and to extract hops at levels of tens of millions of pounds per year, and thus, it is no longer the laboratory curiosity of 10 years ago. Laboratory studies have shown that supercritical fluid fractionation is capable of separating the ethyl esters of fish oils to produce a product containing 90% EPA, and a preliminary design study has shown that the laboratory data can be scaled to large volume production.
