Lysophosphatidylcholine compositions
The present invention provides marine lysophosphatidylcholine compositions for use in pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and functional foods, as well as methods for making marine lysophosphatidylcholine compositions.
1. A method for making a lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) composition with a high content of EPA and DHA from a marine raw material containing phospholipids comprising treating the marine raw material with a phospholipase that is not native to the marine raw material to provide a phospholipase treated raw material and fractionating the phospholipase treated raw material to provide an LPC composition characterized in comprising from about 20% to about 100% LPC w/w of the composition and an omega-3 fatty acid content of from 5% to 50% w/w of the composition, a ratio of EPA:DHA of from 1:1 to 3:1 on a w/w basis or a ratio of DHA:EPA of from 1:1 to 5:1 on a w/w basis, and a 2-LPC:1-LPC ratio of from 1:8 to 18:1 on a w/w basis.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the raw material is selected from the group consisting of a krill lipid preparation, a herring lipid preparation, a herring roe lipid preparation, an algal lipid preparation, and a Calanus lipid preparation.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the krill lipid preparation is a Euphausia Superba lipid preparation.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the raw material is contacted with a phospholipase in a solvent.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the solvent is a mixture of water and an alcohol.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the alcohol is ethanol.
7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the raw material is contacted with a phospholipase in a mixture of about 85% water and 15% ethanol.
8. The method of claim 1 , where the phospholipase is a phospholipase A1 (PLA1).
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the phospholipase is a phospholipase A1 (PLA1) and wherein the enzyme concentration is in the range of 0.1-20 vol/wt %.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the phospholipase is phospholipase A1 (PLA1) and wherein the method is carried out at a pH of 3-12.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the phospholipase is phospholipase A1 (PLA1), wherein the method is carried out between 4-95° C.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the raw material has a content of EPA and DHA in the range of EPA: 1-70 wt % and DHA: 1-70 wt %.
13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of concentrating the phospholipase-treated lipid composition to provide a concentrated LPC composition.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the LPC composition obtained by the process is characterized in comprising from about 40% to about 100% LPC w/w of the composition and an omega-3 fatty acid content of from 5% to 50% w/w of the composition, a ratio of EPA:DHA of from 1:1 to 3:1 on a w/w basis or a ratio of DHA:EPA of from 1:1 to 5:1 on a w/w basis, and a 2-LPC: 1-LPC ratio of from 1:8 to 18:1 on a w/w basis.
15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the concentrating step comprises phase separation of the LPC composition with solvents of different polarity to provide a concentrated LPC composition.
16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the concentrating step comprises chromatographic separation of the LPC composition to provide a concentrated LPC composition.
17. The method of claim 1 , further comprising formulating the LPC composition for human consumption.