Fractionation and Purification of EPA-enriched Triacylglycerols from Scallop Hepatopancreas Lipids by Wet Rendering with Vegetable Oil and Adsorption Column Chromatography

Abstract

Icosapentaenoic acid (EPA) -enriched triacylglycerols (TG) were fractionated from scallop hepatopancreas lipids by wet rendering with rapeseed oil and adsorption column chromatography on silicic acid conducted in conjunction. Fractionated TG from crude hepatopancreas lipids differed according to the degree of unsaturation. Unsaturation indices of subfractionated TG increased linearly (γ=0.9841) in the order of elution with 1% and 2% acetone in n-hexane. Pale yellowish highly unsaturated TG was fractionated and found to contain considerable EPA (34%-52%), which could be obtained directly from dark greenish crude hepatopancreas lipids with small amounts of rapeseed oil in satisfactory yields (9%-38%).