Very long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids from natural oils

1. A method for obtaining an enriched nutraceutical or pharmaceutical composition comprising at least 5% by weight of a mixture of at least two polyunsaturated fatty acids having a chain length of more than 22 carbon atoms and at least 5% by weight of C 20 -C 22 polyunsaturated fatty acids from an oil composition isolated from fish oil, squid oil, krill oil or algal oil, the method comprising the steps of:

A) hydrolyzing an oil composition isolated from fish oil, squid oil, krill oil or algal oil and comprising (i) polyunsaturated fatty acids having a chain length of more than 22 carbon atoms and (ii) C 20 -C 22 polyunsaturated fatty acids with a base in the presence of an organic solvent selected from the group consisting of C 1 -C 5 alcohols and ketones of the formula R 1 (C═O)R 2 wherein R 1 and R 2 are each independently C 1 -C 5 alkyl, and water to form a composition comprising free fatty acid salts of polyunsaturated fatty acids having a chain length of more than 22 carbon atoms;

B) reacting the composition comprising the free fatty acid salts of the polyunsaturated fatty acids having a chain length of more than 22 carbon atoms formed in step A) with an acid to form a composition comprising polyunsaturated free fatty acids having a chain length of more than 22 carbon atoms; and

C) concentrating the polyunsaturated fatty acids having a chain length of more than 22 carbon atoms present in the composition comprising polyunsaturated free fatty acids having a chain length of more than 22 carbon atoms to produce the enriched nutraceutical or pharmaceutical composition comprising at least 5% by weight of a mixture of at least two polyunsaturated fatty acids having a chain length of more than 22 carbon atoms and at least 5% by weight of C 20 -C 22 polyunsaturated fatty acids.

2. A method for obtaining an enriched nutraceutical or pharmaceutical composition comprising at least 5% by weight of a mixture of at least two polyunsaturated fatty acids having a chain length of more than 22 carbon atoms and at least 5% by weight of C 20 -C 22 polyunsaturated fatty acids from an oil composition isolated from fish oil, squid oil, krill oil or algal oil, the method comprising the steps of:

a) hydrolyzing an oil composition isolated from fish oil, squid oil, krill oil or algal oil and comprising (i) polyunsaturated fatty acids having a chain length of more than 22 carbon atoms and (ii) C 20 -C 22 polyunsaturated fatty acids with a base in the presence of an organic solvent selected from the group consisting of C 1 -C 5 alcohols and ketones of the formula R 1 (C═O)R 2 wherein R 1 and R 2 are each independently C 1 -C 5 alkyl, and water to form a composition comprising free fatty acid salts of polyunsaturated fatty acids having a chain length of more than 22 carbon atoms;

b) subjecting the composition formed in step a) to conditions such that (i) a precipitate and (ii) a filtrate comprising free fatty acid salts of polyunsaturated fatty acids having a chain length of more than 22 carbon atoms are formed;

c) removing the precipitate to obtain a filtrate comprising free fatty acid salts of polyunsaturated fatty acids having a chain length of more than 22 carbon atoms;

d) reacting the filtrate comprising free fatty acid salts of polyunsaturated fatty acids having a chain length of more than 22 carbon atoms with an acid to form a composition comprising polyunsaturated free fatty acids having a chain length of more than 22 carbon atoms; and

e) concentrating the polyunsaturated fatty acids having a chain length of more than 22 carbon atoms present in the composition comprising polyunsaturated free fatty acids having a chain length of more than 22 carbon atoms to produce the enriched nutraceutical or pharmaceutical composition comprising at least 5% by weight of a mixture of polyunsaturated fatty acids having a chain length of more than 22 carbon atoms and at least 5% by weight of C 20 -C 22 polyunsaturated fatty acids.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the oil composition is isolated from fish oil.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising removing shorter chain fatty acids from the oil composition prior to hydrolysis in step A).

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the oil composition hydrolyzed in step A) is a residue of a distillation or of an extraction used to produce a fish or squid oil concentrate of EPA and/or DHA.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising removing shorter chain fatty acids from the composition comprising free fatty acid salts of polyunsaturated fatty acids having a chain length of more than 22 carbon atoms, or removing shorter chain fatty acids from the composition comprising polyunsaturated free fatty acids having a chain length of more than 22 carbon atoms after step A).

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composition comprising free fatty acid salts of polyunsaturated fatty acids having a chain length of more than 22 carbon atoms produced in step A) is treated with a lipophilic solvent to reduce the amount of unsaponifiable material present.

8. The method of claim 2 , wherein the filtrate comprising free fatty acid salts of polyunsaturated fatty acids having a chain length of more than 22 carbon atoms produced in step c) is treated with a lipophilic solvent to reduce the amount of unsaponifiable material present.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the base added in step A) is at least one base selected from the group consisting of potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, lithium hydroxide, potassium carbonate, sodium carbonate, lithium carbonate, potassium bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate and lithium bicarbonate.

10. The method of claim 2 , wherein the base added in step a) is lithium hydroxide, lithium carbonate or lithium bicarbonate, and wherein lithium salts of monounsaturated fatty acids having a chain length of more than 22 carbon atoms are recovered from the precipitate removed in step c).

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polyunsaturated free fatty acids having a chain length of more than 22 carbon atoms are concentrated in step C) using distillation, chromatography, extraction or enzymatic processing.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the polyunsaturated free fatty acids having a chain length of more than 22 carbon atoms are converted to alkyl esters before being concentrated.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein polyunsaturated fatty acids having a chain length of more than 22 carbon atoms and having identical chain lengths but different degrees of unsaturation which are present in the enriched composition produced in step C) are separated employing urea fractionation.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the enriched nutraceutical or pharmaceutical composition produced in step C) comprises at least 10% by weight of a mixture of polyunsaturated fatty acids having a chain length of more than 22 carbon atoms.

15. An enriched composition comprising:

at least 5% by weight of a mixture of at least two polyunsaturated fatty acids having a chain length of more than 22 carbon atoms, and

at least 5% by weight of C 20 -C 22 polyunsaturated fatty acids,

wherein the polyunsaturated fatty acids are isolated from fish oil, and the composition is a nutraceutical or pharmaceutical composition.

16. The composition of claim 15 , wherein the at least two polyunsaturated fatty acids having a chain length of more than 22 carbon atoms are in the form of ethyl esters or triglycerides.

17. The composition of claim 15 , comprising at least 10% by weight of the mixture of the at least two polyunsaturated fatty acids having a chain length of more than 22 carbon atoms.

18. The composition of claim 15 , wherein the mixture of the at least two polyunsaturated fatty acids having a chain length of more than 22 carbon atoms comprises at least 5% by weight of C28:7 and/or C28:8 polyunsaturated fatty acids.

19. The composition of claim 15 , comprising at least 25% by weight of the C 20 -C 22 polyunsaturated fatty acids.

20. The composition of claim 15 , comprising at least 5% by weight of Omega-3 DPA.

21. The composition of claim 15 , wherein the polyunsaturated fatty acids having a chain length of more than 22 carbon atoms and the C 20 -C 22 polyunsaturated fatty acids are in the form of ethyl esters or triglycerides.

22. The composition of claim 15 , wherein the at least two polyunsaturated fatty acids having a chain length of more than 22 carbon atoms are selected from the group consisting of C24:4, C24:5, C24:6, C26:4, C26:5, C26:6, C26:7, C28:4, C28:5, C28:6, C28:7, C28:8, C30:5 and C30:6 fatty acids.