Silkworm pupae are a major by-product of the silkworm mulberry industry, and the high content of tri-alpha-linolenin (glyceryl tri-alpha-linolenate, LnLnLn) in silkworm pupae oil makes it an excellent essential fatty acid supplement. However, the complex triglyceride composition of silkworm pupae oil limits its absorption and utilization by the human body. In this study, a sequential simulated moving bed (SSMB) approach for continuous separation was presented to recover the high-value tri-alpha-linolenin monomer from silkworm pupae oil. C₁₈ particles were used as the stationary phase. Acetonitrile and isopropanol were used as the elution mobile phases. Under optimal SSMB conditions, the purity and yield of the extracted products were 95.15±2.06% and 2.14±0.06 mg/mL, respectively. In comparison to the conventional extraction approach, the yield of tri-alpha-linolenin separated by SSMB was 26.7 times greater, the dose of eluent was lowered by 2 times, and the eluent could be recycled. To validate the experimental parameters, a mass transfer diffusion model was used. The molecular diffusion coefficient of tri-alpha-linolenin was 2.61×10⁻⁶ cm²/s, the axial diffusion coefficient was 2.61×10⁻⁶+7.56×10⁻³μ, and the mass transfer diffusion coefficient was 0.87 s⁻¹. The correlation coefficient between the model and the actual measured values was 0.9688. Consequently, the separation of tri-alpha-linolenin monomer in silkworm pupae oil by sequential simulated moving bed chromatography column can be reasonably described and predicted by this model. In conclusion, a novel approach to the commercialization of insect oils was developed by the extraction and purification of tri-alpha-linolenin from silkworm pupae oil using the SSMB approach.

Graphical Abstract

中文翻译：

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使用连续模拟移动床色谱法从蚕蛹油中分离高纯度三α-亚麻酸

蚕蛹是蚕桑业的主要副产品，蚕蛹油中高含量的三α-亚麻酸甘油酯（glyceryl tri-alpha-linolenate，LnLnLn）使其成为极好的必需脂肪酸补充剂。然而，蚕蛹油中复杂的甘油三酯成分限制了其被人体吸收利用。在这项研究中，提出了一种用于连续分离的顺序模拟移动床 (SSMB) 方法，以从蚕蛹油中回收高价值的三α-亚麻酸单体。C ₁₈颗粒用作固定相。乙腈和异丙醇用作洗脱流动相。在最佳SSMB条件下，提取产物的纯度和收率分别为95.15±2.06%和2.14±0.06 mg/mL。与传统提取方法相比，SSMB分离三α-亚麻酸的得率提高了26.7倍，洗脱液用量降低了2倍，并且洗脱液可以循环使用。为了验证实验参数，使用了传质扩散模型。三α-亚麻酸分子扩散系数为2.61×10 ^-6 cm ² /s，轴向扩散系数为2.61×10 ^-6 +7.56×10 ^-3 μ，传质扩散系数为0.87 s^-1。模型与实测值的相关系数为0.9688。因此，该模型可以合理地描述和预测连续模拟移动床色谱柱分离蚕蛹油中的三α-亚麻酸单体。总之，通过使用 SSMB 方法从蚕蛹油中提取和纯化三α-亚麻酸，开发了一种昆虫油商业化的新方法。

图形概要