Patent ID: 8003813

Claim:
A process, consisting of the steps: (a) saponifying an oil comprising a blend of long chain saturated and unsaturated fatty acids to form a first admixture comprising free fatty acids wherein said oil is saponified by admixing the oil with a C 1-3 alcohol or a combination of a C 1-3 alcohol and water at an elevated temperature of about 60° C. to about 65° C. in the presence of an alkali catalyst; (b) separating the free fatty acids from the first admixture; (c) complexing the free fatty acids with urea dissolved in a C 1-3 alcohol or a combination of a C 1-3 alcohol and water at an elevated temperature of about 60° C. to about 65° C. to form a second admixture comprising urea-complexed free fatty acids; (d) cooling the second admixture to room temperature to precipitate urea-complexed saturated free fatty acids therein; and (e) separating the urea-complexed free fatty acids into a first fraction and a second fraction wherein the first fraction is enriched with saturated free fatty acids and depleted of unsaturated free fatty acids and the second fraction is enriched with unsaturated free fatty acids and depleted of saturated free fatty acids.