| abstract |
A method for recovering at least one unsaturated fatty acid having sixteen or more carbon atoms and/or at least one compound of such a fatty acid from a mixture derived from vegetable, animal or marine sources is provided. Fatty acids and/or fatty acid compounds of the mixture, in free acid or esterified form, are passed into a mobile phase of liquid carbon dioxide in a column over a stationary phase. The stationary phase contains a support and a material bound to the support which contains at least one free electron pair and/or multiple bond. After eluting any saturated fatty acid or fatty acid compound of the same number of carbon atoms from the column, the unsaturated fatty acid and/or fatty acid compound is recovered in pure chemical form or as an enriched mixture. |