Process for decreasing environmental pollutants in an oil or a fat.

Abstract

The invention relates to a process for decreasing the amount of environmental pollutants in a mixture comprising a fat or an oil, being edible or for use in cosmetics, the fat or oil containing the environmental pollutants, which process comprises the steps of adding a volatile working fluid to the mixture, where the volatile working fluid comprises at least one of a fatty acid ester, a fatty acid amide, a free fatty acid and a hydro-carbon, and subjecting the mixture with the added volatile working fluid to at least one stripping processing step, in which an amount of environmental pollutant present in the fat or oil, being edible or for use in cosmetics, is separated from the mixture together with the volatile working fluid. The present invention also relates to a volatile environmental pollutants decreasing working fluid, for use in decreasing an amount of environmental pollutants present in a fat or oil, being edible or for use in cosmetics. In addition, the present invention relates to a health supplement, a pharmaceutical and an animal feed product prepared according to the process mentioned above.

1 - 31 . (canceled) 
   
   
       32 . A process for decreasing an amount of environmental pollutants in a mixture comprising a fat or an oil, the process comprising the steps:
 (a) adding a volatile working fluid to the mixture, wherein the volatile working fluid comprises at least one fluid chosen from fatty acid esters, free fatty acids, fatty acid amides, and hydrocarbons, and   (b) subjecting the mixture of step (a) to at least one stripping processing step, wherein the amount of the environmental pollutants is separated from the mixture together with the volatile working fluid thereby forming a stripped mixture;   wherein the stripped mixture comprises less than 12.2 ng/g of BDE 47.   
   
   
       33 . The process according to  claim 32 , wherein the stripped mixture comprises 0.58 ng/g or from 0.58 ng/g to 12.2 ng/g of BDE 47. 
   
   
       34 . The process according to  claim 32 , wherein the stripped mixture comprises less than 0.3 ng/g of BDE 99. 
   
   
       35 . The process according to  claim 34 , wherein the concentration of BDE 99 is less than 0.17 ng/g or ranges from 0.17 ng/g to 0.3 ng/g. 
   
   
       36 . The process according to  claim 32 , wherein the stripped mixture comprises a total concentration of at least one PCDD and at least one PCDF of less than 4.65 pg/g (TE/WHO). 
   
   
       37 . The process according to  claim 36 , wherein the total concentration of the at least one PCDD and the at least one PCDF is 0.46 pg/g or ranges from 0.46 pg/g to 4.65 pg/g (TE/WHO). 
   
   
       38 . The process according to  claim 36 , wherein the at least one PCDD is chosen from tetrachlorodibenzodioxins, pentachlorodibenzodioxins, hexachlorodibenzodioxins, heptachlorodibenzodioxins, and octachlorodibenzodioxins; and the at least one PCDF is chosen from tetrachlorodibenzofurans, pentachlorodibenzofurans, hexachlorodibenzofurans, heptachlorodibenzofurans, and octachlorodibenzofurans. 
   
   
       39 . The process according to  claim 32 , wherein the stripped mixture comprises less than 22.6 pg/g of at least one TE-PCB (TE/WHO). 
   
   
       40 . The process according to  claim 39 , wherein the total concentration of the at least one TE-PCB is 0.09 pg/g or ranges from 0.09 pg/g to 22.6 pg/g (TE/WHO). 
   
   
       41 . The process according to  claim 39 , wherein the at least one TE-PCB is chosen from 3,3′,4,4′-tetrachlorobiphenyl, 3,4,4′,5-tetrachlorobiphenyl, 3,3′,4,4′,5-pentachlorobiphenyl, and 3,3′,4,4′,5,5′-hexachlorobiphenyl. 
   
   
       42 . The process according to  claim 32 , wherein the stripped mixture comprises less than 27.5 ng/g of hexachlorobenzene. 
   
   
       43 . The process according to  claim 42 , wherein the concentration of hexachlorobenzene is 0.25 ng/g or ranges from 0.25 ng/g to 27.5 ng/g. 
   
   
       44 . The process according to  claim 32 , wherein the stripped mixture comprises less than 170 ng/g of the sum of the concentrations of DDE, DDD, and DDT. 
   
   
       45 . The process according to  claim 44 , wherein the sum of the DDE, DDD, and DDT concentrations is less than 4.02 ng/g or ranges from 4.02 ng/g to 170 ng/g. 
   
   
       46 . The process according to  claim 32 , wherein the stripped mixture comprises less than 72.8 ng/g of hexachlorocyclohexane. 
   
   
       47 . The process according to  claim 46 , wherein the concentration of hexachlorocyclohexane is less than 0.23 ng/g or ranges from 0.23 ng/g to 72.8 ng/g. 
   
   
       48 . The process according to  claim 32 , wherein the stripped mixture comprises less than 60 ng/g of dieldrin. 
   
   
       49 . The process according to  claim 48 , wherein the concentration of dieldrin is less than 3.20 ng/g or ranges from 3.20 ng/g to 60 ng/g. 
   
   
       50 . The process according to  claim 32 , wherein the mixture comprises a marine oil. 
   
   
       51 . The process according to  claim 50 , wherein the marine oil is derived from at least one of fish, shellfish, and sea mammal. 
   
   
       52 . The process according to  claim 49 , wherein the marine oil is a fish oil. 
   
   
       53 . The process according to  claim 52 , wherein the fish oil is chosen from sardine oil and anchovy oil. 
   
   
       54 . The process according to  claim 32 , wherein the at least one stripping processing step is carried out at a temperature ranging from about 120° C. to about 270° C. or ranging from about 150° C. to about 200° C. 
   
   
       55 . The process according to  claim 32 , wherein the at least one stripping processing step is chosen from short path distillation, short path evaporation, thin-film distillation, thin-film evaporation, falling-film distillation, falling-film evaporation, molecular distillation, and any combination thereof. 
   
   
       56 . The process according to  claim 55 , wherein the at least one stripping processing step is carried out at a mixture flow rate ranging from about 10 kg/h·m 2  to about 300 kg/h·m 2 . 
   
   
       57 . The process according to  claim 56 , wherein the at least one stripping processing step is carried out at a mixture flow rate ranging from about 40 kg/h·m 2  to about 150 kg/h·m 2 . 
   
   
       58 . The process according to  claim 56 , wherein the at least one stripping processing step is carried out at a mixture flow rate ranging from about 36 kg/h·m 2  to about 109 kg/h·m 2 . 
   
   
       59 . A process for decreasing an amount of environmental pollutants in a mixture comprising a fat or an oil, the process comprising the steps:
 (a) adding a volatile working fluid to the mixture, wherein the volatile working fluid comprises at least one fluid chosen from fatty acid esters, free fatty acids, fatty acid amides, and hydrocarbons, and   (b) subjecting the mixture of step (a) to at least one stripping processing step, wherein the amount of the environmental pollutants is separated from the mixture together with the volatile working fluid thereby forming a stripped mixture;   wherein the stripped mixture comprises less than 7.5 μg/kg of a sum of the concentrations of at least two brominated flame retardants chosen from BDE 47, BDE 99, and BDE 100.   
   
   
       60 . The process according to  claim 59 , wherein the sum of the concentrations of the at least two brominated flame retardants is less than 0.6 μg/kg or ranges from 0.6 μg/kg to 7.5 μg/kg. 
   
   
       61 . The process according to  claim 59 , wherein the stripped mixture comprises less than 22 μg/kg of dieldrin. 
   
   
       62 . The process according to  claim 61 , wherein the concentration of dieldrin is less than 0.4 μg/kg or ranges from 0.4 μg/kg to 22 μg/kg. 
   
   
       63 . The process according to  claim 59 , wherein the stripped mixture comprises less than 12 μg/kg of hexachlorobenzene. 
   
   
       64 . The process according to  claim 63 , wherein the concentration of hexachlorobenzene is less than 1 μg/kg or ranges from 1 μg/kg to 12 μg/kg. 
   
   
       65 . The process according to  claim 59 , wherein the stripped mixture comprises less than 14.1 μg/kg of a sum of the concentrations of at least two hexochlorocyclohexane (HCH) compounds chosen from α-HCH, β-HCH, and γ-HCH. 
   
   
       66 . The process according to  claim 65 , wherein the sum of the concentrations of the at least two HCH compounds is less than 8 μg/kg. 
   
   
       67 . The process according to  claim 59 , wherein the stripped mixture comprises less than 38 μg/kg of DDE. 
   
   
       68 . The process according to  claim 67 , wherein the concentration of DDE is less than 3 μg/kg or ranges from 3 μg/kg to 38 μg/kg. 
   
   
       69 . The process according to  claim 59 , wherein the stripped mixture comprises less than 15 μg/kg of DDD. 
   
   
       70 . The process according to  claim 69 , wherein the concentration of DDD is less than 3 μg/kg or ranges from 3 μg/kg to 15 μg/kg. 
   
   
       71 . The process according to  claim 59 , wherein the stripped mixture comprises less than 67.8 μg/kg of a total concentration of PCBs. 
   
   
       72 . The process according to  claim 71 , wherein the total concentration of PCBs is less than 46 μg/kg or ranges from 46 μg/kg to 67.8 μg/kg. 
   
   
       73 . The process according to  claim 71 , wherein the PCBs are chosen from CB 28, CB 52, CB 101, CB 118, CB 153, CB 105, CB 138, CB 156, and CB 180. 
   
   
       74 . The process according to  claim 59 , wherein the mixture comprises a marine oil. 
   
   
       75 . The process according to  claim 74 , wherein the marine oil is derived from at least one of fish, shellfish, and sea mammal. 
   
   
       76 . The process according to  claim 74 , wherein the marine oil is a fish oil. 
   
   
       77 . The process according to  claim 76 , wherein the fish oil is chosen from sardine oil and anchovy oil. 
   
   
       78 . The process according to  claim 59 , wherein the at least one stripping processing step is carried out at a temperature ranging from about 120° C. to about 270° C. or ranging from about 150° C. to about 200° C. 
   
   
       79 . The process according to  claim 59 , wherein the at least one stripping processing step is chosen from short path distillation, short path evaporation, thin-film distillation, thin-film evaporation, falling-film distillation, falling-film evaporation, molecular distillation, and any combination thereof. 
   
   
       80 . The process according to  claim 79 , wherein the at least one stripping processing step is carried out at a mixture flow rate ranging from about 400 ml/h to about 1000 ml/h. 
   
   
       81 . The process according to  claim 80 , wherein the at least one stripping processing step is carried out at a mixture flow rate chosen from about 400 ml/h. 
   
   
       82 . The process according to  claim 79 , wherein the at least one stripping processing step is carried out at a mixture flow rate chosen from about 600 ml/h. 
   
   
       83 . The process according to  claim 59 , wherein the fat or oil mixture comprises a marine oil derived from at least one chosen from fish, shellfish, and sea mammal. 
   
   
       84 . The process according to  claim 83 , wherein the marine oil is a fish oil. 
   
   
       85 . The process according to  claim 84 , wherein the fish oil is chosen from menhaden oil, cod liver oil, herring oil, capelin oil, sardine oil, anchovy oil, and salmon oil. 
   
   
       86 . The process according to  claim 85 , wherein the fish oil is chosen from anchovy oil and sardine oil. 
   
   
       87 . A process for decreasing an amount of environmental pollutants in a mixture comprising a fat or an oil, the process comprising the steps:
 (a) adding a volatile working fluid to the fat or oil mixture, wherein the volatile working fluid comprises at least one fluid chosen from fatty acid esters, free fatty acids, fatty acid amides, and hydrocarbons, and   (b) subjecting the mixture of step (a) to at least one stripping processing step, wherein the amount of the environmental pollutants is separated from the mixture together with the volatile working fluid thereby forming a stripped mixture;   wherein the concentration of BDE 47 in the stripped mixture is reduced by at least 95% compared to the mixture before the at least one stripping process.   
   
   
       88 . The process according to  claim 87 , further wherein the concentration of BDE 99 in the stripped mixture is reduced by at least 83% compared to the mixture before the at least one stripping process. 
   
   
       89 . The process according to  claim 87 , further wherein the concentration of BDE 100 in the stripped mixture is reduced by at least 80% compared to the mixture before the at least one stripping process. 
   
   
       90 . The process according to  claim 87 , further wherein the total concentration of PCBs in the stripped mixture is reduced by at least 97% compared to the mixture before the at least one stripping process (TE/WHO). 
   
   
       91 . The process according to  claim 87 , further wherein the concentration of PCDDs in the stripped mixture is reduced by at least 80% compared to the mixture before the at least one stripping process (TE/WHO). 
   
   
       92 . The process according to  claim 87 , further wherein the concentration of PCDFs in the stripped mixture is reduced by at least 94% compared to the mixture before the at least one stripping process (TE/WHO). 
   
   
       93 . The process according to  claim 87 , further wherein the total concentration of DDE, DDD, and DDT in the stripped mixture is reduced by at least 97% compared to the mixture before the at least one stripping process. 
   
   
       94 . The process according to  claim 87 , wherein the mixture comprises eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) ethyl ester and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) ethyl ester from a marine oil. 
   
   
       95 . The process according to  claim 94 , further comprising the step of increasing the concentration of at least one of the EPA and DHA in the marine oil to a pharmaceutically-effective concentration. 
   
   
       96 . A process for decreasing an amount of environmental pollutants in a fat or an oil of a pharmaceutical composition, the process comprising the steps:
 (a) adding a volatile working fluid to the fat or the oil, wherein the volatile working fluid comprises at least one fluid chosen from fatty acid esters, free fatty acids, fatty acid amides, and hydrocarbons, and   (b) subjecting the fat or the oil of step (a) to at least one stripping processing step, wherein the amount of the environmental pollutants is separated from the fat or the oil together with the volatile working fluid thereby forming a stripped mixture;   wherein the stripped mixture comprises:   a concentration of BDE 47 of less than 12.2 ng/g;   a total concentration of at least one PCDD and at least one PCDF of less than 4.65 pg/g (TE/WHO); and   a total concentration of at least one TE-PCB of less than 22.6 pg/g (TE/WHO);   wherein the pharmaceutical composition is not a health supplement.   
   
   
       97 . The process according to  claim 96 , wherein:
 the concentration of BDE 47 is 0.58 ng/g or ranges from 0.58 ng/g to 12.2 ng/g;   the total concentration of at least one PCDD and at least one PCDF is 0.46 pg/g or ranges from 0.46 pg/g to 4.65 pg/g (TE/WHO); and   the total concentration of at least one TE-PCB is 0.09 pg/g or ranges from 0.09 pg/g to 22.6 pg/g (TE/WHO).   
   
   
       98 . The process according to  claim 96 , wherein the stripped mixture comprises less than 5.3 μg/kg of BDE 47. 
   
   
       99 . The process according to  claim 98 , wherein the concentration of BDE 47 is less than 0.2 μg/kg or ranges from 0.2 μg/kg to 5.3 μg/kg.