HIGHER UNSATURATED FATTY ACID MIXTURE PREPARATION METHOD

FIELD: fat-and-oil industry. ^ SUBSTANCE: invention provides a method for preparing higher unsaturated fatty acid mixture for use in food processing, varnish-and-paint, and other industries. Method comprises distillation of fat feedstock, in particular sunflower oil, at 230-260°C and pressure 0.12-0.8 KPa to give distillate with acid number 130-160 mg KOH/g and subsequent reagent-free hydrolysis of distillate under autoclaving conditions (217-225°C and 2.0-2.5 MPa) for 3-4 h at fat-to-oil ratio 1:0.5. Method has following advantages: specific consumption of oils to prepare higher unsaturated fatty acid mixture is reduced by a factor 3-5; product preparation technology simplified owing to lesser number of process steps (from 3 to 2); total time of high-temperature action on far feedstock is reduced excepting second period of reagent-free hydrolysis; process is made wasteless because of elimination of bottom residues (goudrons) upon distillation of fatty acid. ^ EFFECT: enhanced process efficiency. ^ 2 tbl, 2 ex