Concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids from omega-3 rich oils by Membrane Technology

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The objective of this research is to develop novel membranes for effective extraction of polyunsaturated fatty acids from Omega-3 rich oils. Polyunsaturated Omega-3 fatty acids, especially eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, are important nutritional compounds with demonstrated health benefits; these compounds must be part of the dietary intake since they cannot be synthesized in the body. DSM Nutritional Products (DNP) is the largest supplier of Omega-3 products to the food, dietary and pharmaceutical sectors all over the word. However, the extraction of Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil is challenging and current techniques have technical limitations in terms process efficiency and/or product quality. To address this problem, this Engage project attempts to develop advanced membranes based on unique selective and reversible interactions between silver and the double bonds in the polyunsaturated fatty acids for efficient extraction of Omega-3 components from Omega-3 rich oils. Working with DNP, who has committed a generous in-kind contribution at this stage, this research will focus on proof-of-concept of using silver-incorporated membranes for such applications. We anticipate that this Engage project will lead to continued R&D collaborations with DNP for further development of the technology.