Supercritical fluid chromatography of fish, shark and seal oils

Various natural and treated fish, shark liver and seal oils have been analyzed by supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) using a non-polar capillary column. The lipids are separated according to molecular mass. The lipid groups found included free fatty acids, cholesterol, squalene, vitamins, wax esters, cholesterol esters, diglycerides, triglycerides and ether lipids. Methods for the analysis of the marine oils depend on components present in the oil. When co-eluting lipid groups were present, modifications such as hydrogenation or TLC fractionation of the oils had to be made. In this paper applications of SFC on fish, seal and shark liver oils are presented.