Patent ID: 7491412

Claim:
A process for preparing a phytolipid composition comprising squalene, phytosterols, tocopherols and vegetable wax which comprises the steps of: (1) distilling a vegetable oil by-product comprised of mixed tocols, fatty acids, hydrocarbons, vegetable waxes, sterol esters of fatty acids, sterols, triterpenoid alcohols, squalene, methyl-sterols, and mono-, di-, and triglycerides at a temperature of about 170 to about 320° C. and a pressure of about 0.1 to about 35 torr to produce (i) a vapor product comprising fatty acids and low boiling hydrocarbons and (ii) a liquid product; (2) distilling the liquid product of step (1) at a temperature of about 230 to about 300° C. and a pressure of about 0.0005 to about 1 torr to produce (i) a second vapor product comprising a mixed tocols concentrate, squalene, phytosterols, and vegetable wax and (ii) a second liquid product; (3): condensing the vapor product and mixing the condensed vapor product with an extractant of an alkanol or a mixture of acetone and water to form a mixture, separating the mixture into two phases comprising (i) a first phase comprising a majority of the extractant and (ii) a second phase comprising a majority of the condensed vapor product; (4) collecting the second phase formed in step (3); (5) cooling the first phase formed in step (3) to effect formation of a precipitate followed by collection of the precipitate; and (6) combining the second phase collected in step (4) with the precipitate collected in step (5) and removing extractant employed in step (3) from the materials collected in steps (4) and (5), whereby a phytolipid composition comprising about 10 to about 40 weight percent squalene, about 2 to about 20 weight percent phytosterols, about 1 to about 10 weight percent of mixed tocols and about 40 to about 80 weight percent vegetable wax is obtained.