Fractionation of squid visceral oil ethyl esters by short-path distillation

Squid visceral oil contains high levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Its ethyl esters were fractionated by short-path distillation in this study. The elimination temperatures of squid visceral ail ethyl esters (SVOEE) ranged from 50 to 140 degrees C, increasing with the carbon number of ethyl esters. The elimination temperature of cholesterol was higher than those of SVOEE. The SVOEE of Illex argentinus (SVOEE-A) was more advantageous as the raw material (feed) than that of Ommastrephes bartrami (SVOEE-B) for the isolation of EPA and DHA, because SVOEE-A contained less 20:1 and 22:1. When SVOEE-A originally containing 9.0% EPA, 14.7% DHA, and 1,121 mg/100 g of cholesterol was distilled from 50 to 150 degrees C with 20 degrees C interval, the 130 degrees C distillate could give 15.5% EPA and 34.7% DHA with 99 mg/100 g of cholesterol, and the yield was 21.8%. The 150 degrees C distillate could give 43.1% DHA with 496 mg/100 g of cholesterol. Furthermore, the distillates collected from 110 to 150 degrees C contained 24.4 to 50.2% of EPA plus DHA, and their total yield was 58.3%. The final residue after 150 degrees C distillation contained 77% of the total cholesterol in the initial SVOEE-A, and the yield was 6.0%.