CPC C11B 3/008 (2013.01) [A23L 29/04 (2016.08); A23L 33/115 (2016.08); A23L 33/12 (2016.08); C11B 7/0075 (2013.01); C11B 7/0083 (2013.01); A23V 2002/00 (2013.01); A23V 2250/188 (2013.01); A23V 2250/1876 (2013.01); A23V 2250/194 (2013.01)] | 15 Claims |
1. A method of purifying a fish oil by winterization, the method comprising steps of:
a) mixing a fish oil having a stearin content that is in the range of 2% (by weight) to 40% (by weight) with a solubilizing agent comprising an edible winterized fish oil to obtain a liquid mixture;
b) incubating the liquid mixture at a first temperature that is in a range from +5° C. to +15° C.;
c) filtering the mixture at a temperature that is equal to or lower than the first temperature to obtain a filtrate;
d) incubating the filtrate obtained in step c) at a temperature that is lower than the temperature of steps b) and c);
e) filtering the mixture from step d) at a temperature that is equal to or lower than the temperature in step d);
f) optionally, performing additional incubating and filtering steps at increasingly lower temperatures, wherein each filtering step is performed at a temperature that is equal to or lower than the temperature of the previous incubation step; wherein the temperature of the last filtering step is in a range from −10° C. to +5° C., and wherein the solubilizing agent has a melting point that is lower than the temperature of the last filtering step; and g) isolating a liquid composition of the fish oil and the solubilizing agent that is suitable for human or animal consumption and that has a melting point lower than +5° C. in order to provide a composition of the fish oil after winterization that is a clear liquid without formation of stearin crystals following a cold test performed for a period of 1-3 hours at a temperature of 0° C.
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