Atlas Halieutique

Poly-Unsatureted Fatty Acids (PUFAs)

Valorisation Option Factsheet

Product description

PUFAs are fatty acids with more than one un-saturation (double bond) in their chain. PUFAs include important compounds such as essential fatty acids. There are two major families of PUFAs:

  • Omega-3: mainly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) present in fish, shellfish, plants and algae, and Alpha linolenic acid (ALA) only present in plants.
  • Omega-6: linoleic acid (LA), gamma linoleic acid (GLA) and arachidonic acid (AA), present in a lower amount in fish oils.

Product application

PUFAs have demonstrated effect on cardiovascular diseases prevention, normal brain and nervous tissue development, as well as anti-carcinogenic anti- inflammatory and anti-allergenic properties.

Therefore, PUFAs find their main applications in:

  • Infant formulae
  • Functional food & beverages (dairy products, non-caloric beverages, canned food, margarines, pre-cooked food, flours, snacks, sweets, eggs, meat products)
  • Dietary supplements
  • Feed, pet food and aquaculture feed
  • Cosmetics

Raw materials

EPA and DHA are purified from the high quality oil extracted from oily fish species and also from some crustacean species (Antartic krill).

The most common and traditional source is cold pressed oil from cod liver. Oil is extracted also from cold-water fishes from the Scombridae, Clupeidae and Salmonidae families such as salmon, mackerel, halibut, sardines, tuna, and herring.

Feasibility



Process Yield

Technology maturity

Value of Product

Potential Market

Production cost

Competing Companies

Simplified process Scheme




Citation :

Factsheet Poly-Unsatureted Fatty Acids (PUFAs), Author(s) : Bruno Iñarra, Carlos Bald, Marta Cebrian


Bruno Iñarra, Carlos Bald, Marta Cebrian (2017). DiscardLess WP6.2 Evaluation of the different valorisation alternatives prioritized from the technical, market, regulatory and socio-economic perspective.
http://www.discardless.eu/Valorisation_module