1. Introduction
In the last two decades, the production of oils rich in polyunsaturated
fatty acids (PUFA) of the omega-3 series has gained
increasing attention, due to valuable applications of these compounds
in the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industry. Many
anthropological, epidemiological, clinical and biochemical studies
emphasize the nutritional value of omega-3 PUFA in the prevention
of several diseases and indicate that typical Western diets are
well below adequate daily intakes of these compounds [1–3]. In
particular, the nutritional and pharmacological value of eicosapentaenoic
acid (EPA, C20:5) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6)
in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases [4,5] and the reduction
of hypertriglyceridemia [5] has been well ascertained. As a
result of these issues, many nutraceutical products based on oils
with EPA+ DHA mass fraction from 30% to 80% are currently marketed
as dietary supplements. Furthermore, mixtures with EPA and
DHA (in the form of ethyl esters) over 80%, with stated values
of EPA/DHA ratio (typically in the range 1–1.6) are recognized by
several Pharmacopoeias as Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API)
against hypertriglyceridemia and myocardial infarction