Production of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrates: A review

Abstract

Recent developments on the production of omega-3 fatty acid concentrates have been reviewed with an emphasis on the scientific articles published from 2000. At first, a description of the role of essential fatty acids in the organism and the influence of omega-3 fatty acids in human health is presented. An account of the review articles that have been published in previous years related to the production or isolation of omega-3 fatty acids is then provided. The publications that have appeared over the last 8 years have been reviewed under two groupings, one involving the production of omega-3 from fish, and the other involving the isolation from alternative sources. Fish is the major source of omega-3 fatty acids and the fish oil extraction processes have been considered firstly, then the fish oil refining processes are presented and finally the omega-3 concentration from fish oil. Some considerations on the stability of polyunsaturated fatty acids against hydrolysis and oxidation and the procedures to avoid it are also presented at the end of this review. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are being used quite extensively in the food industry to obtain omega-3 enriched food products. Most of the commercial concentrates that can be found nowadays are the omega-3 ethyl ester derivatives. However, research is ongoing to obtain the more natural and better digestible triglyceride concentrates. We present here a review of the most recent advances, regarding the production of omega-3 concentrates from the very first raw material that contains them from which they should be extracted to the omega-3 concentrates stabilization. In between, a good number of different technologies that are being industrially applied, or still under investigation, are reviewed. One of the technologies with high expectation is supercritical fluid technology, and it finds a relevant place in the review here presented. Industries involved on innovation, require rapid overviews of the different possibilities open for production, and in that sense, this review is expected to be of interest.