Patent ID: 8802880

Claim:
A process for recovering a first polyunsaturated fatty acid from a feed mixture that comprises the first polyunsaturated fatty acid and at least a second fatty acid in addition to the first polyunsaturated fatty acid, the process comprising: performing a main step of chromatographic separation using an aqueous organic eluent and thereby collecting a first stream of eluent enriched in the first polyunsaturated fatty acid and a second stream of eluent enriched in the second fatty acid; subjecting the second stream of eluent to a concentration step so as to obtain a concentrated portion of the second stream comprising the second fatty acid and a depleted portion of the second stream comprising the eluent, but depleted of the second fatty acid, wherein the water-to-organic ratio of the depleted portion of the second stream is lower than the water-to-organic ratio of the second stream of eluent; and at least partially recycling the depleted portion of the second stream to use it in the main step of chromatographic separation.