FIELD: chemistry.
SUBSTANCE: invention relates to an improved chromatographic fractionation method for purification of polyunsaturated fatty acids and derivatives thereof. The method for chromatographic separation of a product - polyunsaturated fatty acid - from a starting mixture includes feeding the starting mixture into a simulated or true moving bed chromatographic apparatus, having a plurality of connected chromatographic columns containing aqueous alcohol as an eluent, where the apparatus has a plurality of areas which include at least a first area and a second area, each area having an extract stream and a raffinate stream, from which liquid can be collected from said plurality of connected chromatographic columns, and where (a) the raffinate stream, containing the polyunsaturated fatty acid product along with more polar components, is collected from a column in the first area and is fed into a non-adjacent column in the second area and/or (b) the extract stream, containing the polyunsaturated fatty acid product along with less polar components, is collected from a column in the second area and fed into a non-adjacent column in the first area, wherein said polyunsaturated fatty acid product is separated from the other components of the starting mixture in each area.
EFFECT: method provides efficient separation of polyunsaturated fatty acids or derivatives thereof from more polar and less polar impurities to obtain substantially pure polyunsaturated fatty acids and derivatives thereof.
16 cl, 15 dwg, 4 tbl, 9 ex
