Patent ID: 7541480

Claim:
A process for the preparation of a final composition comprising long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, comprising: concentrating a composition comprising long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids to a gas chromatographic purity equal to an absolute assay required for a final composition; dissolving the concentrated composition comprising long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in at least one solvent selected from the group consisting of an aprotic solvent, an apolar solvent, and a slightly polar solvent; and purifying the dissolved composition comprising long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids by contact with at least one silicon derivative to provide the final composition comprising long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids; wherein the final composition comprising long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids comprises: one or more compounds having, in total, an absolute assay higher than 50% by weight, selected from the group consisting of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5 ω-3, all cis), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6 ω-3, all cis), pharmaceutically acceptable C 1 -C 3 alkyl esters thereof, dietetically acceptable C 1 -C 3 alkyl esters thereof, and salts thereof with an inorganic or organic base; and one or more compounds having, in total, an absolute assay lower than 50% by weight, selected from the group consisting of C18:3 ω-3 acids, C18:4 ω-3 acids, C20:4 ω-3 acids, C21:5 ω-3 acids, C22:5 ω-3 acids, pharmaceutically acceptable C 1 - C 3 alkyl esters thereof, dietetically acceptable C 1 -C 3 alkyl esters thereof, and salts thereof with an inorganic or organic base; and the ratio of EPA to DHA or the C 1 -C 3 alkyl esters or the salts thereof with an inorganic or organic base is between 2:1 and 1:2.