Polyunsaturated fatty acid enrichment from sardine oil by urea fractionationand argentation chromatography

Fish and crustaceans cannot synthesize n3 and n6 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) de novo from precursor molecules. Of these, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexanoic acid (DHA), and arachidonic acid (AA) are essential in the diet of a majority of marine finfish and crustaceans, especially for the larvae and broodstock. PUFAs are widely available in a large variety of marine organisms like microalgae, polychaetes, finfish and shellfish, but fish oil is easily available, cheap, and contain considerable amount of PUFAs.