Imported High Purity Phospholipids

Methods to improve the purity of phospholipids mainly include the following:

I. Chemical Synthesis Methods

1. Semi-Synthetic Phospholipids:

·Natural phospholipids (such as soy lecithin and egg yolk lecithin) are used as raw materials, and structural modifications are made through chemical processes like hydrogenation to obtain phospholipid products with enhanced stability and more uniform fatty acid composition.

·The hydrogenation process effectively reduces the variety of fatty acids, improving the product's stability.

2. Fully Synthetic Phospholipids:

·Using chemical synthesis techniques, phospholipid molecules are gradually constructed from basic organic compounds.

·This method enables precise control over the molecular structure and composition of phospholipids, producing high-purity phospholipid products.

·For example, through precise synthetic steps (such as reactions, filtration, purification, crystallization, and drying), fully synthetic phospholipids like DPPC with a purity of over 99% can be efficiently produced.

II. Biological Extraction Methods

1. Enzyme-Catalyzed Refining Extraction:

·Phospholipase is used to convert phospholipids like phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidic acid in crude phospholipids into phosphatidylcholine, increasing the content and purity of phosphatidylcholine.

·For example, using phospholipase derived from cabbage, the phosphatidylcholine content in soybean lecithin (with 80% phosphatidylcholine) and egg yolk lecithin (with 75% phosphatidylcholine) can be increased to 95% and 100%, respectively.

2. Column Chromatography Refining Extraction:

·Phospholipids are purified using adsorption column chromatography and ion-exchange column chromatography.

·To achieve optimal separation results, factors such as the geometry of the column, packing method, particle size of the filler, temperature, sample load, flow rate, and the composition of the eluent need to be selected and controlled.

·Common adsorbents include silica gel, alumina, and silicon dioxide, while mixtures of solvents like chloroform and lower alcohols are often used as eluents.

III. Physical Methods

1. Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction:

·Utilizing the cavitation, mechanical, and thermal effects of ultrasound to enhance extraction efficiency.

·For example, soybean concentrated phospholipids can be used as raw materials to prepare powdered soybean lecithin with high acetone-insoluble content using ultrasound-assisted extraction technology.

·By optimizing conditions such as ultrasonic power, time, extraction temperature, and solid-liquid ratio, powdered soybean lecithin with over 98% acetone-insoluble content can be obtained.

2. Solvent Extraction Method:

·Appropriate solvents are selected for extracting phospholipids, and the differences in solubility of phospholipids in different solvents are utilized for separation and purification.

·For example, using ethanol as the solvent, high-phosphatidylcholine soybean powdered lecithin can be prepared by optimizing ethanol concentration, extraction temperature, solid-liquid ratio, and extraction time, yielding products with more than 50% PC purity.

In practical applications, multiple methods are often combined to improve phospholipid purity. For example, to extract high-purity marine phospholipids from Antarctic krill, a combination of enzyme hydrolysis, ultrasound-assisted extraction, and polystyrene gel column chromatography can be used to obtain phospholipid products with a purity greater than 95%.

There are various methods to improve phospholipid purity. The specific method chosen should be based on factors such as the source, properties, and required purity of the phospholipids. In actual operations, attention must also be paid to controlling costs, protecting the environment, and improving production efficiency.