Docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6 n-3, DHA) is a long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid whose deficiency in the brain has been associated with certain neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. This is linked to the current interest in phospholipids, as they are more effective at incorporating different fatty acids into the cell membrane than triacylglycerides (TAGs). Consequently, structured phospholipids containing DHA are the most suitable way to increase DHA accumulation in the brain and appear to be very useful in preventing neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory diseases.
Thus, this study aims to obtain structured phospholipids enriched in DHA ω-3 fatty acid and their purification by solid phase extraction (SPE) and open column chromatography. First, enzymatic hydrolysis was optimized to obtain 100% free fatty acids (FFA) from commercial algal oil (DHA-rich Algal oil 40%S-IF Type 400, ProgressBiotech), for this purpose, the commercial RM lipase from Novozymes (Rhizomucor miehei lipase) was used. The process was scaled up to have enough FFA for the next steps (20 times). For the formation of structured lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), the same commercial lipase was used as in the hydrolysis (RM lipase), 45°C temperature and different ratios of GPC:FFA (1:10, 1:5 and 1:2) in a solvent-free medium. Reactions were monitored by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and scaled up 10 times with the best results. Purification of LPC was achieved with both techniques. In addition, novel materials for the purification of compounds, such as modified graphene, were tested in the SPE, obtaining promising results for their use.