CHARACTERIZATION AND PURIFICATION OF FATTY-ACID METHYL-ESTERS FROM THE LIVER OIL OF THE DEEP-SEA SHARK (CENTROPHORUS-SQUAMOSUS) BY GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHY MASS-SPECTROMETRY AND COUNTERCURRENT CHROMATOGRAPHY

In the course of our studies on the location of marine products, we ha ve directed our attention to the saponifiable fraction of the liver oi l from the deep sea shark (Centrophorus squamosus). Different analytic al and preparative techniques, such as high-performance liquid chromat ography (HPLC), countercurrent chromatography (CCC), and gas chromatog raphy-mass spectrometry [GC-MS, electron impact (EI) and positive-ion chemical ionization (PCI)] were used. These methods allowed us to char acterize, after various derivatizations, most of the fatty acids forme d after the saponification of the oil, and to purify two of them, name ly: docosahexaenoic acid (DHA or 22:6) and docosamonoenoic acid (DMA o r 22:1).