A technique for the high vacuum fractional distillation, with a spinning band eolunm, of methyl esters of polyunsaturated fatty acids employing a carrier of long chain acetates is described. The carrier is used to facilitate the fractionation of minor components and minimize artifact formation in mixtures of methyl esters containing up to six double bonds. The technique is demonstrated on a standard mixture of methyl esters and applied to a concentrate of unsaturated methyl esters containing a large number of minor components as well as methyl doeosahexaenoate.

The analysis of triglyceride species by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a flame ionization detector (FID) and reversed-phase chromatography using chemically bonded octadecyl silane (ODS) Zorbax columns and gradient or isocratic solvent elution with methylene chloride/acetonitrile is described. Triglycerides containing acyl groups of critical pairs,trans and positional isomers, as well as mixtures of even and odd chain lengths are separated. Identification of triglycerides is made on the basis of retention times compared with equivalent and theoretical carbon numbers, and comparison with chromatograms of reference triglyceride mixtures. The methodology is demonstrated by fractionizing the triglycerides of olive oil under different chromatographic conditions using single and coupled conventional 250×4.6 mm columns and a short 80×6.2 mm column for fast separations.

Selective extraction of parsley seed oil (Petroselinum sativum) facilitates the isolation of myristiein (5‐allyl‐1‐methoxy‐2,3‐methylenedioxybenzene) and is also useful for the preparation of petroselinic acid from the triglycerides of this oil. Coriander seed oil (Coriandrum sativum) is also a satisfactory source for the isolation of petroselinic acid.