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

本研究的目的是开发新型膜，用于从富含Omega-3的油中有效提取多不饱和脂肪酸。多不饱和欧米茄-3脂肪酸，特别是二十碳五烯酸和二十二碳六烯酸，是重要的营养化合物，具有已证实的健康益处;这些化合物必须是膳食摄入的一部分，因为它们不能在体内合成。帝斯曼营养产品（DNP）是世界上最大的Omega-3产品供应商，为食品，饮食和制药行业提供服务。然而，从鱼油中提取ω-3脂肪酸是具有挑战性的，并且目前的技术在工艺效率和/或产品质量方面具有技术限制。为了解决这个问题，该Engage项目试图开发基于银与多不饱和脂肪酸中双键之间独特的选择性和可逆相互作用的先进膜，以从富含Omega-3的油中有效提取Omega-3成分。与DNP合作，DNP在现阶段已经做出了慷慨的实物贡献，这项研究将集中在使用银结合膜用于此类应用的概念验证上。我们预计，这个Engage项目将导致与DNP的持续研发合作，以进一步开发该技术。

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.