The Success Story of Molecular Distillation in Fish Oil Ester Concentration and Biodiesel Production
The state-of-the-art in concentrating Omega-3 fatty acids, a process pivotal in this evolution, shifted towards the fractionation of their ethyl or methyl esters. This method circumvents the high-temperature problem by employing multi-stage Short Path Distillation. This innovative approach has significantly improved the purity and concentration of Omega-3 fatty acids, with total EPA and DHA content achievable up to 70% or higher. Additionally, the variability of the EPA to DHA ratio can be finely tuned through control of distillation conditions and the degree of concentration.