Development of Purification Concepts for Nutraceuticals from Algae - Part II: Design of Purification Strategies

Abstract

Omega-3 fatty acids are well-known for health-preserving effects like blood pressure reduction. Main source of fatty acids is fish oil which has recorded a significant price increase. This has stimulated research on recovering omega-3 fatty acids from other sources, like the microalgae Ulkenia sp. These stems have in common that the fatty acids are built as storage lipids in the cell interior. Due to the cell wall stability of the cell systems, high disruption energies need to be applied which leads to formation of stable emulsions. Innovative downstream concepts are developed which in contrast to conventional processes are operated free from organic solvents. Several approaches are discussed and compared in terms of cost to common process concepts.