Supercritical Extraction Technology of Obtaining Polyunsaturated Acids from Starfish (Lysastrosoma anthosticta Fisher, 1922)

Introduction. Starfish (Asteroidea) are marine echinoderms with more than 160 species. Starfish are a valuable source of protein and fats. The present research featured the chemical composition of starfish, which can be used as a commercial source of lipids. Study objects and methods. The study defined the optimal parameters for extracting the lipid fraction of Lysastrosoma anthosticta with supercritical carbon dioxide, as well as the qualitative composition of the obtained extracts. Results and discussion. The yield of fatty acids obtained with supercritical carbon dioxide co-solvent was 1.8 times higher than that obtained with standard extraction according to the Folch method. The content of impurities was lower than in the samples with chloroform-methanol system. The polyunsaturated fatty acids isolated from L. anthosticta mainly belonged to ω-3 (18.0%), ω-6 (11.7%), ω-7 (21.2%), ω-9 (10.1%), and ω-11 (6.5%). The rest was saturated fatty acids, mainly palmitic (14%) and myristic (6%). The qualitative composition of the lipid fraction did not depend significantly from the isolation method. However, the supercritical extraction increased the product yield, extraction rate, and the quality of the extraction residue. Supercritical carbon dioxide left a dry residue, which had no typical smell and was brittle enough for grinding. Such residue can presumably be used to produce protein concentrate. Conclusion. Supercritical extraction with chloroform can be recommended to isolate fatty acids from marine organisms at 60°C and 400 bar.