Abstract
Purification of EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid) ethyl ester, obtained from a mid-gut gland of scallop, was performed using supercritical carbon dioxide. EPA is effective in preventing the development of thrombotic and arteriosclerotic diseases. The crude mid-gut gland was homogenized and freeze-dried. The supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of triglycerides from the freeze-dried mid-gut gland was carried out at 20.0 MPa and 35 °C.
Fatty acids, obtained from the extracted triglycerides, were esterified with ethanol. EPA ethyl ester in the mixture of fatty acid ethyl esters was purified using supercritical carbon dioxide. The maximum extraction yield of all the fatty acid ethyl esters was 83.8 %. The purified EPA ethyl ester was analyzed by gas chromatograph mass spectrometry.
The maximum amount of the purified EPA ethyl ester was found to 92.6 %.
