ALA enriched polyunsaturated fatty acid compositions

1. A vegetable-based lipid composition comprising:

(i) α-linolenic acid in an amount of at least 85% by weight of the total fatty acid content of the composition;

(ii) a second polyunsaturated fatty acid in an amount of 1% to 5% by weight of the total fatty acid content of the composition; and

(iii) γ-linolenic acid (18:3n-6) in an amount of from 0.1% to 4% by weight of the total fatty acid content of the composition;

wherein the second polyunsaturated fatty acid is a C:20-24 omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid containing at least four unsaturations, and wherein the α-linolenic acid, the γ-linolenic acid, and the second polyunsaturated fatty acid are independently provided in the form of a fatty acid ethyl ester or a salt of a fatty acid ethyl ester.

2. The lipid composition of claim 1 , wherein the amount of α-linolenic acid present is at least 88% by weight of the total fatty acid content of the composition.

3. The lipid composition of claim 1 , wherein the total amount of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the lipid composition is at least 90% by weight of the total fatty acid content of the composition.

4. The lipid composition of claim 1 , wherein the second polyunsaturated fatty acid is docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3).

5. The lipid composition of claim 1 , wherein the γ-linolenic acid (18:3n-6) is present in an amount of from 0.5% to 3% by weight of the total fatty acid content of the composition.

6. The lipid composition of claim 1 , wherein the lipid composition is derived from a single source.

7. The lipid composition of claim 1 , wherein the lipid composition is derived from a plant.

8. The lipid composition of claim 7 , wherein the plant is an oilseed selected from Brassica sp., Gossypium hirsutum, Limum usitatissimum, Helianthus sp., Carthamus tinctorius, Glycine max, Zea mays, Arabidopsis thaliana, Sorghum bicolor, Sorghum vulgare, Avena sativa, Trifolium sp., Elaesis guineensis, Nicotiana benthamiana, Hordeum vulgare, Lupimis angustifolius, Oryza sativa, Oryza glaberrima, Camelina sativa , or Crambe abyssinica.

9. The lipid composition according to claim 7 , wherein the lipid composition has not been refined, bleached or deodorised prior to enrichment.

10. The lipid composition of claim 7 , wherein the plant has been genetically modified to produce long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids.

11. The lipid composition of claim 8 , wherein the Brassica sp. is Brassica napus or Brassica juncea.

12. The lipid composition of claim 1 , wherein the composition is provided in the form of a tablet, capsule, encapsulated gel, ingestible liquid or powder, emulsion, or a topical ointment or cream.

13. The lipid composition of claim 1 , further comprising one or more additional components selected from the group consisting of an antioxidant, a stabiliser and a surfactant.

14. The lipid composition of claim 1 for use in the treatment or prevention of cardiovascular disease, protection against death in patients with cardiovascular disease, reduction of overall serum cholesterol levels, reduction in high blood pressure, increase in HDL:LDL ratio, reduction of triglycerides, or reduction of apolipoprotein-B levels.

15. The lipid composition of claim 1 , wherein the ratio of the total weight of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids to the total weight of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the composition is at least 10:1.

16. A paint or a varnish comprising the lipid composition of claim 1 .

17. A method for producing the lipid composition of claim 1 , comprising providing a mixture of fatty acid ethyl esters, and subjecting said mixture to a chromatographic separation process, optionally wherein the mixture of fatty acid ethyl esters is obtained by transesterification and distillation of a vegetable-based lipid oil.