The present invention provides a chromatographic separation process for recovering a polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) product from a feed mixture, which comprises: (a) purifying the feed mixture in a first chromatographic separation step using an eluent a mixture of water and a first organic solvent, to obtain an intermediate product; and (b) purifying the intermediate product in a second chromatographic separation step using as eluent a mixture of water and a second organic solvent, to obtain the PUFA product, wherein the second organic solvent is different from the first organic solvent and has a polarity index which differs from the polarity index of the first organic solvent by between 0.1 and 2.0, wherein the PUFA product is other than alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), linoleic acid, an ALA mono- di- or triglyceride, a GLA mono- di- or triglyceride, a linoleic acid mono- di- or triglyceride, an ALA C.sub.1-C.sub.4 alkyl ester, a GLA C.sub.1-C.sub.4 alkyl ester or a linoleic acid C.sub.1-C.sub.4 alkyl ester or a mixture thereof.

Provided is a fat or oil composition, comprising 50 mass % or more of diacylglycerols whose constituent fatty acids comprise 12 mass % or more of fatty acids having 20 or more carbon atoms and 5 mass % or less of a total content of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, and having an iodine value of a fat or oil of 120 or less.

Provided is a fat or oil composition, comprising 50 mass % or more of diacylglycerols whose constituent fatty acids comprise 12 mass % or more of fatty acids having 20 or more carbon atoms and 5 mass % or less of a total content of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, and having an iodine value of a fat or oil of 120 or less.

Methods are provided for refining natural oil feedstocks. The methods comprise reacting the feedstock in the presence of a metathesis catalyst under conditions sufficient to form a metathesized product comprising olefins and esters. In certain embodiments, the methods further comprise separating the olefins from the esters in the metathesized product. In certain embodiments, the methods further comprise hydrogenating the olefins under conditions sufficient to form a fuel composition. In certain embodiments, the methods further comprise transesterifying the esters in the presence of an alcohol to form a transesterified product.

Provided herein are blends oils or fatty acids comprising more than 50% medium chain fatty acids, or the fatty acid alkyl esters thereof, and having low melting points. Such blends are useful as a fuel or as a starting material for the production of, for example, a biodiesel. Also provided genetically altered or modified plants, modified such that the amount of medium chain fatty acids generated by the plant are increased. Further provided is a method of predicting the melting point of a blend of fatty acid methyl esters and the use of such a method for identifying blends suitable for use as, for example, a biodiesel.

Provided herein are blends oils or fatty acids comprising more than 50% medium chain fatty acids, or the fatty acid alkyl esters thereof, and having low melting points. Such blends are useful as a fuel or as a starting material for the production of, for example, a biodiesel. Also provided genetically altered or modified plants, modified such that the amount of medium chain fatty acids generated by the plant are increased. Further provided is a method of predicting the melting point of a blend of fatty acid methyl esters and the use of such a method for identifying blends suitable for use as, for example, a biodiesel.

Provided herein are methods for fatty acid alkanolamide (FAAA) synthesis and isolation from lipid-containing algal biomass, and the products of such methods.

The present invention generally provides a process for treating a soapstock. The present invention more particularly provides systems and methods for treating a soapstock to generate free fatty acids and/or fatty acid derivatives, e.g. fatty acid alkyl esters. The present invention more particularly provides systems and methods for realizing the full fatty acid yield of a soapstock by first converting substantially all of the saponifiable material in a soapstock to salts of fatty acids (soaps) and acidulating the soaps to generate free fatty acids and/or fatty acid derivatives, e.g. fatty acid alkyl esters, wherein the soapstock comprises soaps and saponifiable lipids, e.g. glycerides and/or phospholipids, and the generating of free fatty acids and/or fatty acid is achieved without the use of a mineral acid.

The present invention generally provides a process for treating a soapstock. The present invention more particularly provides systems and methods for treating a soapstock to generate free fatty acids and/or fatty acid derivatives, e.g. fatty acid alkyl esters. The present invention more particularly provides systems and methods for realizing the full fatty acid yield of a soapstock by first converting substantially all of the saponifiable material in a soapstock to salts of fatty acids (soaps) and acidulating the soaps to generate free fatty acids and/or fatty acid derivatives, e.g. fatty acid alkyl esters, wherein the soapstock comprises soaps and saponifiable lipids, e.g. glycerides and/or phospholipids, and the generating of free fatty acids and/or fatty acid is achieved without the use of a mineral acid.

A process involves sequentially treating a plurality of lipid feedstocks comprising a set of lipid feedstocks each having a chloride content of at least about 2 ppm with a metal oxide catalyst on an oxide support under first treating conditions to produce respective treated streams of the set of lipid feedstocks having a chloride content less than 1 ppm until a given one of the respective treated streams has a chloride content greater than 1 ppm and the metal oxide catalyst is converted to a spent metal oxide catalyst, converting the spent metal oxide catalyst to a rejuvenated metal oxide catalyst, and treating one or more additional lipid feedstocks each having a chloride content of at least about 2 ppm with the rejuvenated metal oxide catalyst under second treating conditions to produce one or more respective treated streams each having a chloride content less than 1 ppm.