Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Designated organic active ingredient containing – Peptide containing doai
Reexamination Certificate
2002-10-07
2004-03-30
Carr, Deborah (Department: 1621)
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Designated organic active ingredient containing
Peptide containing doai
C554S008000, C554S224000, C426S417000, C426S601000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06713447
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for purifying marine mammal oil enriched in omega 3 fatty acids and to compositions comprising such oils. The invention also relates to a method of preparing such oils from the seal and other marine mammals. More particularly, the present invention relates to a process for the transformation of subcutaneous and muscular tissues from the seal and other marine mammals. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to a process for obtaining lipid and protein extracts from the carcasses of seal and other marine mammals and to these extracts. In addition, the invention relates to fractions obtained by the methods of the present invention and to food supplements comprising same.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Seals have been hunted for their fur and their meat for hundreds of years. Recently, these animals have been hunted mainly for their fur and blubber oil, the residual carcass often being thrown back to the sea. There is thus a often, a very significant waste of seal tissue.
The entire seal trade hopes to find a growing market for seal meat, seal fat products, and in the case of the Asian market, seal-genitalia based aphrodisiac products. A renewed interest for seal oil has recently emerged, because of the properties of seal oil extracted from the blubber which is enriched in omega-3 fatty acids. Seal oil is a typical marine, because it is enriched in omega-3 fatty acids. More specifically it contains docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) the beneficial properties of which are well known to those in the art. In addition, these oils contain considerable levels of squalene and Vitamin E. These compounds are essential to the development and the maintenance of good health. In fact, over the past twenty years, health experts have recommended diets lower in saturated fats and higher in polyunsaturated fats. While this advise has been followed by a number of consumers, the incidence of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and many other debilitating diseases has continued to increase steadily. Scientists agree that the type and source of polyunsaturated fats is as critical as the total quantity of fats. The most common polyunsaturated fats are derived from vegetable matter and are lacking in long chain fatty acids (e.g. Omega-3). In addition, the hydrogenation of polyunsaturated fats to create synthetic fats has contributed to the rise of certain health disorders and exacerbated the deficiency in some essential fatty acids. Indeed, many medical conditions have been identified as benefiting from an Omega-3 supplementation. These include acne, allergies, Alzheimer's, arthritis, artherosclerosis, breast cysts, cancer, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, eczema, hypertension, hyperactivity, intestinal disorders, kidney dysfunction, leukemia, and multiple sclerosis. Of note, the World Health Organization has recommended that infant formulas be enriched with Omega 3 fatty acids.
The conventionally used polyunsaturates are those derived from vegetable oils, which contain significant amounts of omega 6 but little or no omega 3. While omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acids are both necessary for good health, they must be consumed in a balance of about 4:1. Today's Western diet has created a serious imbalance with current consumption on average of 20 times more omega 6 than omega 3. Concerned consumers have begun to look for health food supplements to restore the equilibrium. The three principal sources of omega 3 are flaxseed oil, fish oils, and seal oil. The past decade has seen rapid growth in the production of flaxseed and fish oils. Both types of oil are considered good dietary sources of polyunsaturated fats but are less effective than seal oil in supplying omega 3 fatty acids. Flaxseed oil contains no EPA, DHA, or DPA but rather contains linolenic acid—a building block enabling the body to manufacture EPA. There is evidence however that the rate of metabolic conversion can be slow and unsteady, particularly among those with impaired health. Fish oils vary considerably in the type and level of fatty acid composition depending on the particular species and their diets. For example, fish raised by aquaculture tend to have a lower level of omega 3 fatty acids than that in the wild. Research has shown that seal oil is more beneficial to those at risk of heart disease and diabetes than is fish oil. Scientists postulate that this stems from the relative absence of DPA in fish oil and the slower rate at which the body is able to extract and utilize the EPA and DHA content of fish oil.
The richest, most direct and complete source of Omega 3 oils is found in the blubber of certain marine mammals and especially in the Harp Seal. In addition, the body's absorption of omega 3 from seal blubber is faster and more efficient than from flaxseed and fish oils. This is due, in part, to the molecular configurations of the EPA and DHA in seal oil, which varies slightly from those found in fish oils.
Traditionally seal oil has been extracted by processes requiring high temperatures which favor oxidation of polyunsaturated fats.
Methods of the prior art which describe methods for extracting oil from marine mammals require heating. For instance, GB-A-711 352 describes a method for extracting oil from vegetable and animal material including whale liver and meat. The material is preferably heated at a temperature of around 60° C. to 80° C. to reduce the viscosity of the mixture and to perform two tasks: 1) enable a better extraction of the oil; and 2) obtain a better atomization of the proteins during homogenization. Similarly, XP-002164137 describes a method of extracting sperm whale fat which require heating the material to 45° C. to 55° C. Also, GB-A-470,223 teaches a method of extracting oil from whale blubber which require heating at 45° C. to 55° C.
Other methods of extracting oil from marine mammals require the use of toxic solvents. For instance, XP-002164136 describes a method of extracting oil from whales or seals comprising the use of such toxic solvents such as chloroform and methanol.
The oil of marine mammals, such as seal thus provides significant advantages. Unfortunately, simple and cost-effective processes for the purification of oil from such marine mammals have not been provided. In addition, processes enabling a purification of oil containing a significant amount of Omega 3 fatty acids, from fat tissues, active protein fractions, and lipids from muscle and visceral tissues have yet to be provided. Furthermore, in view of the significant decrease in the price of seal pelt (about 50% in the last year) and of the very low price of marine mammal carcasses (from the 1997 Newfoundland and Labrador Seafood Industry, Newfoundland Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture), there is a need to increase the value of marine mammals (seals in particular), body parts and more particularly of their carcasses.
There also remains a need to find a utility and/or interest for the proteins of the carcasses of marine mammals such as that of the seal.
In view of the reported health benefits for Omega 3-containing fatty acids, there remains a need to provide extracts containing significant quantities thereof, means to prepare same by a simple and cost-effective method and to provide food supplement comprising such extracts.
The present invention seeks to meet these and other needs.
The present description refers to a number of documents, the content of which is herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention concerns a method for obtaining and purifying a marine mammal oil enriched in omega 3 fatty acids, which overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art. More particularly, the invention concerns a process for the purification of oil enriched in omega 3 fatty acids from seal tissue, fractions comprising such oil, and food supplements comprising same. In a particular preferred embodiment, the seal tissue is the blubber, which yields a significant quantity of oil.
The present invention further r
Beaudoin Adrien
Martin Genevieve
Akerman & Senterfitt
Carr Deborah
Universite de Sherbrooke
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