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Fractional vacuum distillation of herring oil methyl esters
Author(s) -
Ackman R. G.,
Ke P. J.,
Jangaard P. M.
Publication year - 1973
Publication title -
journal of the american oil chemists' society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.512
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1558-9331
pISSN - 0003-021X
DOI - 10.1007/bf02628730
Subject(s) - chemistry , vacuum distillation , distillation , iodine value , organic chemistry , degree of unsaturation , chromatography , polyunsaturated fatty acid , pyrolysis , thermal decomposition , gas chromatography , fractional distillation , fatty acid
Abstract Methyl esters of a Canadian Atlantic herring oil containing 62% monoethylenic fatty acids were subjected to batch fractional distillation under vacuum on a pilot plant scale, to study the feasibility of fractionating fatty acid esters of marine oils of low iodine value into monounsaturated fractions with increased commercial value for industrial chemical uses. A total of 64 methyl ester fractions were collected and analyzed by gas liquid chromatography. Recoveries of the major saturated and monounsaturated acids were close to 100%, and some fractions contained over 90% of the desired 22:1 long chain monounsaturated acids. The short chain polyunsaturated acids were recovered in good yields, but the long chain highly unsaturated acids were recovered in yields of 60% or less due to oxidative and thermal decomposition in the particular apparatus employed. If small amounts of unsaturated acids are acceptable, fractional distillation of low iodine value marine oils could inexpensively supply fractions with high concentrations of methyl esters of longer chain (C 20 and C 22 ) monounsaturated and shorter chain (C 14 ) saturated acid or (C 16 ) saturated‐monounsaturated acid mixture.