MXPA99011677A - Compositions comprising ratite oil or active fractions thereof and methods of using these compositions as insect repellents - Google Patents

Abstract

This invention provides compositions for repelling insects, particularly biting insects, such as mosquitoes, ticks, and biting flies comprising ratite oil, active fractions of ratite oil obtained by flash chromatography or compositions comprising mixtures of fatty acids found in ratite oil. Also provided are compositions for repelling insects comprising ratite oil, active fractions of ratite oil or compositions comprising mixtures of fatty acids found in ratite oil further comprising at least one additional insect repellent. Methods of repelling insects, particularly biting insects, are provided comprising topically applying ratite oil, active fractions of ratite oil, or compositions comprising mixtures of fatty acids found in ratite oil;or ratite oil, active fractions thereof, or compositions comprising fatty acids found in ratite oil and further comprising at least one additional insect repellent.

Description

COMPOSITIONS THAT COMPRISE RATIO BIRED OIL OR ITS ACTIVE FRACTIONS AND METHODS TO USE THESE COMPOSITIONS AS INSECT REPELLENTS The field of the invention is that of tropical insect repellents. More particularly, repellents are provided for biting, effective flies of natural origin comprising oils of ratite birds, which include, rheas, emus, ostriches, kiwis and cassowaries, active fractions of poultry oil ratites and compositions consisting of oils of ratite birds or their active fractions and citronella or citronella and saponin. Also provided are compositions comprising poultry oil ratites or their fractions and at least some other insect repellent. Additionally, compositions for repelling biting insects consisting of a mixture of fatty acids are provided. Methods for repelling insects comprising the application of such compositions are also provided.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to compositions and methods for repelling insects, and more particularly to compositions and methods for repelling biting insects, such as mosquitoes and biting flies, for example, flies.

REF. : 32307 ceratopogonids, using a natural ingredient, poultry oil ratites, which include rheas, emus, ostriches, ki is and cassowaries, active fractions of said oils and compositions comprising poultry oil ratites or their active fractions and at least some other insect repellent such as citronella or DEET, optionally, also comprising saponin. Also included are compositions for repelling insects comprising a mixture of certain fatty acids and methods for repelling insects comprising the application of said compositions comprising certain fatty acids.

The natural oils known to repel insects include rotundial (from the leaves of Vi tex rotundifolia, Watanabe K et al. (1995) Bi otech Biochem 59 (10): 1979-1980); citronella oil (for example, in U.S. Patent No. 5, 346, 922); eucalyptus oil (Watanabe et al. (1993) J. Agrie, Food Chem. 41: 2164-2166); neem oil (Sharma VP et al. (1993) J. American Mosqui to Control Associa ti on 9 (3): 359- 360); and oil of Hedeoma pulgi oides, anise oil and chrysanthemum oil (US Patent No. 5,208,209). Another natural oil that has repellent activity is saponin (Croda del Sapindus). Saponin has been shown to repel lice and also serves to improve the consistency of the spreading of the repellent compositions and to reduce the fatty consistency.

However, the compound most widely used as a tropical insect repellent is N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET). When the DEET is applied to the skin of children, it has been implicated as causing seizures. It is also known that DEET reacts with certain plastics and synthetic rubbers and causes skin irritation (Watanabe et al. (1993), supra) As a result of these problems and other side effects, New York State has banned products that have 100% DEET.

The active fractions of insect repellents found in nature are also well known. In the art methods for the resolution of heterogeneous compounds in chemical species are well known. For example, silica gel flash chromatography provides very rapid resolution for organic compounds (see, for example, US Patent No. 4,293,422). After separation, the eluted fractions can be recovered and tested for the activity of interest.

Franz Bencsits, in US Pat. No. 5,589,181, reports that certain alkyl esters of Cl to C4 fatty acids and fatty alcohols preferably having 5 to 18 carbon atoms possess insect repellent activity. Bencsits describes that the alkyl esters of fatty acids Cl to C4 can be obtained from C5 to C9 fatty acids present in rape seed oil, sunflower oil, ani oil, peanut butter, soybean oil, safflower seed oil, cuphea oil, coconut oil, palm kernel oil, palm oil and fish oil. Fatty alcohols can be obtained from paraffins and / or ethene. Bencsits further discloses that, in order to reduce the evaporation of the active substances alkyl esters Cl to C4 fatty acids and / or fatty alcohols, a container consisting of a natural oil or of an identical vegetable or animal nature can be provided. However, Bencsits does not show or suggest the compositions of the invention in question.

According to the above, the need prevails for a natural and safe substance that acts to repel insects, particularly biting insects, when applied locally to the skin. The active fraction (s) of said substance are also necessary as effective compositions consisting of poultry oil ratites or their active fractions and compositions comprising poultry oil ratites or their active fractions in combination with at least some other insect repellent such as citronella, DEET or saponin. Also required are compositions comprising mixtures of fatty acids that are effective in repelling insects.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a method for repelling insects, particularly biting insects, the local application to a poultry oil subject comprising ratites, active fractions of poultry oil, ratites, or a composition comprising a mixture of fatty acids. . Methods for repelling insects, particularly biting insects, are also provided, the local application to a poultry oil subject comprising ratites, their active fractions or mixtures of fatty acids and at least one other insect repellent such as citronella or DEET. The invention further provides compositions for repelling biting insects consisting of active fractions of poultry oil ratites or a mixture of fatty acids or compositions consisting of poultry oil ratites, their active fractions or a mixture of fatty acids and at least some other insect repellent , such as citronella, DEET or saponin.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES Figure 1 shows the number of mosquitoes present on a filter paper treated with water, sucrose or sucrose and diluted emu oil (sample 776) at 2.5 minute intervals. The dark triangles show the controls for the filter paper treated with water. Clear squares show a filter paper treated with sucrose. The dark squares show a paper treated with sucrose covered with sample 776 undiluted. The clear triangles show a paper treated with sucrose covered with a dilution at 50 of the sample 776. The clear circles show a paper treated with sucrose covered with a sample 776 diluted to 25.

Figure 2 shows the number of mosquitoes present a filter paper treated with water, sucrose, or sucrose and fractions of sample 776 at 5 minute intervals. The dark squares show the paper treated with water. The light squares show a treated paper covered with sucrose. The dark triangles show a paper treated with sucrose covered with a sample 776. The clear triangles show a paper treated with sucrose covered with a fraction Fl. The dark circles show a paper treated with sucrose covered with a fraction F2.

Figure 3 shows the 1H NMR spectrum of fraction 1 of the emu oil.

Figure 4 shows the 1H NMR spectrum of fraction 2 of the emu oil.

Figure 5 shows the average number of mosquito biting test members at ten minute intervals.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Throughout this application, several publications, patents and patent applications are referred to as identification citations. The contents of these publications, patents and patent applications are incorporated herein by reference to. This application for a more complete description of the state of the art to which this invention belongs.

The present invention provides methods for repelling insects, particularly biting insects, using oil from ratite poultry, which includes rheas, emus, ostriches, kiwis and cassowaries, and is a natural and safe substance. The invention also includes methods for repelling insects comprising the application of active fractions of poultry ratite oils. The present invention also provides compositions for repelling insects consisting of fatty oils having a repellent effect. The invention also provides a method for repelling insects consisting of the local application of such compositions comprising mixtures of fatty acids. In a preferred aspect, pure ratite bird oil is applied to the skin. In another preferred aspect, dilute ratite bird oil is applied locally. In yet another preferred aspect, an active fraction of bird oil ratites is applied to the skin. In a further preferred aspect, a composition consisting of poultry oil or its active fractions and at least some other insect repellent is applied to the skin. Appropriate insect repellents that can be combined with poultry oil ratites or their fractions include, but are not limited to, N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET), citronella oil, rotundial oil, eucalyptus oil , neem oil, Hedeoma pulgioides oil, anise oil, chrysanthemum oil and saponin.

The present invention further provides compositions for repelling biting insects consisting of poultry oil, ratites, active fractions of bird oil ratites or a mixture of fatty acids. Also included are compositions consisting of poultry oil ratites, one of their active fractions or a mixture of fatty acids and at least some other insect repellent. Appropriate insect repellents that can be combined with poultry oil ratites or their fractions include, but are not limited to, N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET), citronella oil, rotundial oil, eucalyptus oil, neem oil, Hedeoma pulgioides oil, anise oil, chrysanthemum oil and saponin.

It has been found that compositions consisting of poultry oil ratites, one of their active fractions or a mixture of fatty acids and at least some other insect repellent exhibit surprisingly unexpected synergistic results. The repellent activity of these compositions was much greater than the oil of poultry ratites, the active fractions of poultry oils ratites, a mixture of fatty acids or the other insect repellent by themselves. This synergistic effect was also observed in dilute preparations of poultry oil ratites and another insect repellent.

The following examples are presented as an additional guide to practitioners with common knowledge in the art, and should not be construed as limiting the invention in any way.

Example 1: The effect of emu oil on the frequency of mosquito landings and bites To determine if emu oil was an effective mosquito repellent, it was applied to a hand of a volunteer, pure emu oil (Zoogen, Inc., Davis, Ca). The other hand was left without treatment. Each hand was placed in a nylon mesh cage containing mosquitoes. { Aedes aegypti) and the number of mosquitoes that landed and / or bitten was recorded. The experiment was done in duplicate. The results of the experiments were averaged and summarized in Table 1.

Table 1 These results show that the local application of emu oil is an effective mosquito repellent. It greatly reduces the number of mosquitoes that land, and completely eliminates bites.

Example 2 The effectiveness of emu oil as a durable mosquito repellent To determine how long the emu oil remains as a mosquito repellent, the treated hand was exposed to a mosquito cage for 15, 39 and 60 minutes after the mosquito. application. The number of strokes and bites was compared at each punctual time with the untreated hand. The results of duplicate experiments were averaged and are presented in Table 2.

Table 2 These results show that emu oil remains an effective mosquito repellent for at least 30 minutes.

Example 3 The effectiveness of diluted emu oil To determine the effectiveness of the diluted emu oil, the emu oil was diluted with ethyl acetate at fixed percentages, applied in one hand and inserted into a mosquito cage. The number of landings was recorded. The experiments were performed in duplicate at each dilution level. The results are shown in Table 3.

Table 3 These results show that diluted amounts of emu oil efficiently repel mosquitoes. At a dilution as low as 1%, emu oil halves the number of mosquitoes that land. At 25% emu oil, the number of mosquitoes that land falls to a tenth in an untreated hand. Therefore emu oil is an effective insect repellent at a concentration of 1 or greater.

Example 4 Fractionation of emu oil and the effectiveness of the fractions A sample (776) of 850 mg emu oil was steam distilled using flash chromatography with silica gel (silica gel Baker, 40 μm), essentially as described in Still et al. (1978) J. Organi c Chem. 43: 2923. Two major components of the sample were eluted from the column with 100% hexane and 25% ethyl acetate / hexane. The fractions were analyzed by thin-film chromatography (TLC) on silica plates developed with 50% hexane / ethyl acetate. The components on the TLC plates were observed by exposing the plates to UV light (indicating UV light chromophores) and the plates were sprayed with vanillin / sulfuric acid (indicating the presence of higher alcohols, sterols, phenols or essential oils). ). It was found that 430 mg of a claro oil, designated F2, is active with UV light and reactive with vanillin / sulfuric acid. The second component, 380 mg of a pale yellow oil called Fl, was not active with UV light and did not change color with vanillin. Fractions Fl and F2 were analyzed by XH NMR (300 MHz, CDClj as shown in Figures 3 and 4.

A bioanalysis of a mosquito repellent was carried out, by treating pieces of filter paper with sucrose, covered either with an aliquot of crude sample 776, Fl or F2. Filter papers treated with water or sucrose served as control. Samples Fl and F2 were tested in total or diluted amounts with 50% corn oil or 25% of the total. The number of mosquitoes that landed and fed on the pieces of filter paper was recorded at regular time intervals. The results are shown in Figures 1 and 2.

As shown in Figure 1, still diluted at 25% of the total, the raw sample (776) greatly reduces the number of mosquitoes that land on the paper with sucrose. In addition, Figure 2 shows that both the fractions of Fl and F2 of the sample 776 in total amount and diluted to 50% or 25% of the total were effective in repelling mosquitoes when compared to the control treated with sucrose.

Example 5 The effect of emu oil as a tick repellent To determine whether emu oil was an effective repellent for ticks the hands of a subject were treated with emu oil, while the fingers of the hand were left untreated . As a positive control, Ultrathon (3M, Minneapolis, MN) was applied to the hand and the fingers were left untreated. A hand without treatment was used as a negative control. Black-legged western tick nymphs were placed on the hands and observed as they moved towards the treated and untreated skin of the hand. The ticks that crossed into the treated area were recorded as "crosses." Those that did not cross were registered as "repelled". The ticks were removed after a simple registration. The repellent capacity is calculated as the proportion of all attempts in which a tick is repelled. For example, 8 repulsions in 10 attempts provides a repellent capacity of 80%. In this study, each subject was tested with a tick at 15-minute intervals for two hours and 15 minutes. The results are shown below: Negative control-Untreated skin 0% repellent capacity Ultrathon positive control (3M) 70% repellent capacity Emu oil 40% repellent capacity There was no indication that the repellent capacity declined after two hours of the test period.

Example 6 The effect of an emu and citronella oil composition on the frequency of mosquito bites To determine if citronella could enhance the mosquito repellent effect of emu oil, emu oil repellent activity alone and compositions composed of Emu oil and citronella (30 drops at 100% citronella oil / 25 mL emu pure oil) were compared with a positive control, Ultrathon® (3M, Minneapolis, MN approximately 31% DEET). The citronella oil, Cymbopagon nard? S, was obtained from Aura Cacia, Weaverville, CA.

The tests were conducted in the Florida Keys, that is, in the Great Cayo Pino and the Little Cayo Pino.

During the test, the air temperature was 24-2ß ° C, with clear sky and light wind. It was considered as > 99% Aedes taeniorhynchus of mosquitoes approached or attacked subjects.

In the first study, pure emu oil was applied in three subjects, one subject was applied Ultrathon, and two subjects served as a negative control. In the second study, citronella oil was added to emu oil. Three subjects applied the composition consisting of emu oil and citronella, two subjects were applied Ultrathon, and two subjects served as negative controls. Six of the participants were employees of the Mosquito Control Service of Monroe County, Florida. The treatments were equally divided between the surfaces of the legs and arms. The surface area of the treated areas were calculated for each subject before application. The test materials were applied at a dosage of approximately 3 mL / 650 square centimeters of surface area.

Three subjects counted and registered bites in series of 10-minute periods. The count was recorded in some data sheets. On the first day of the study, the trial period was two hours, with 12 continuous periods of 10-minute registration. In the second study, the test was interrupted during two brief periods of wind, with the need to move to more productive locations (ie places with higher bite incidence) between the test sites. As a result, the total test period including the interruption was two hours and twenty-five minutes.

The incidence of environmental bites was measured throughout the study by subjects with untreated control members. The average incidence of environmental bites was sufficient to test in both cases and averaged between 17 and 70 bites at intervals of 10 minutes (mean = 38.5, see Figure 5).

Both the emu oil and the positive control, Ultrathon, repelled the mosquitoes throughout the trial periods. A composition consisting of emu oil and citronella oil was particularly effective as a repellent (see Figure 5). The repellent properties of emu oil alone, reduced the number of bites to an average of 5.7 bites per 10 minutes. The composition consisting of emu oil and citronella approached the positive control, Ultrathon, with 0.8 bites per 10 minutes for the emu / citronella oil composition, compared with 0.2 bites per 10 minutes for the Ultrathon. Throughout the trial period, emu oil, a composition consisting of emu oil and citronella and Ultrathon, substantially reduced the number of bites of Aedes taeniorhynchus. A composition consisting of emu oil and citronella was much more effective than emu oil alone and offers protection comparable to that offered by mosquito repellents registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the United States of America. No pattern of decreasing repellent capacity over time was observed for emu oil and citronella.

Example 7 The effect of an emu, citronella and saponin oil composition on the frequency of biting ceratopogonid biting flies To determine the efficacy of a composition consisting of emu oil, citronella and saponin as a biting insect repellent, eight (8) ) human subjects took part in an experiment where three (3) subjects were treated with emu oil alone or emu with citronella and saponin. Three other subjects served as negative controls while the other two subjects were treated with two commercially available insect repellents, Ultrathon ™, a DEET-based repellent, and Treo ™, a plant-based repellent. The tests were conducted in three places: a) In the Grand Cayo Pino, Florida;: b) in the Fairchild Tropical Gardens, in Miami, Florida; and in c) Hopkins Village, in Belize, Central America. The temperatures were in the intervals of 21-24 ° C, the sky was clear and the winds during the tasting period were light.

Two preparations of emu oil were prepared for the tests: a) 100% emu oil alone; and b) 20 L of emu oil plus 30 drops of citronella oil and 2 mL of saponin (Croda del Sapindus).

The two commercially available repellents used as comparative controls were: a) Ultrathon ™ (3M®, Minneapolis, MN, a product registered by the Environmental Protection Agency of the United States of America (EPA) based on DEET, approximately 32% DEET); and b) Treo ™ (Primavera Laboratories, Inc.®, SPF 15 lotion with 0.05- citronella).

The negative control was the skin without treatment, The test materials were applied both on the skin of the lower arms or legs of the subjects under study. The areas of the treated surfaces were calculated for each subject before application. The applications of the test materials, except for the Ultrathon, were made using dosages of 3.0 mL / 650 cm ", a dose compared with those used by the EPA records for herbal repellents. the manufacturer of 1 mL / 650 cm2.

Each subject tested recorded the number of bites received by the biting ceratopogonid flies on the treated or control surfaces during sequential sampling periods beginning every 10 minutes, the total duration of the test was approximately 1 hour. The EPA recognizes 1 hour as the duration of protection required for repellent capacity requirements of small biting flies. The results are shown in Table 4 below.

Table 4 The number of bites was much lower in each of the test materials than in the control. The number of bites with emu oil and emu, citronella and saponin oil composition was much lower than with the control and lower than with Treo herbal repellent registered by the EPA. The composition of emu oil, citronella and saponin together prevented bites in many of the sampling periods, with recorded bites (one bite followed by another bite in 30 minutes) in one subject in the first sampling period and in three subjects in The third sampling period. Therefore emu oil has a pronounced synergistic effect when combined with an herbal repellent, such as citronella.

Example 8 The repellent synergistic effects of emu oil An emu oil preparation was prepared in which the emu oil was diluted to a final concentration of 0.02% with ethanol. It was diluted OFF! Skintastic ™ (S.C. Johnson) with ethanol at a final concentration of 0.01%. A 1: 1 solution consisting of 10 mL of the 0.01% dilution of OFF! Was prepared, 10 mL of the dilution of 0.02% emu oil and 10 mL of ethanol.

In order to determine whether emu oil has an additive and / or synergistic effect in combination with other insect repellents, these preparations were tested on their own and in combination. Each preparation was applied in the hand of a volunteer exposed to a population of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes for 20 seconds. The test was repeated three times for each preparation. The positive controls were either 100% emu oil or 100-1 OFF! . The negative controls were untreated skins. The results of these tests are shown in Table 5 below: Table 5 NUMBER OF INSECT BITES BY TREATMENT These results show that diluted emu oil has both additive and repellent synergistic effects in combination with another diluted repellent. In this case a repellent based on DEET.

Example 9 It was found that the NMR spectra of the active fractions of emu oil characterized in Example 4 above correspond to the spectrum of fatty acids. Compositions consisting of various percentages of certain fatty acids known to be present in the emu oil were prepared and tested for repellent activity. Table 6 shows the chemical compositions of one of these compositions and corresponding comparative information of the corn oil, which was previously shown to be non-repellent, and soybean oil, which is a component of an insect repellent recently introduced to the market as BiteBlocker ™ ( Consep, Inc., Bend, OR). The percentages of fatty acids in the corn and soybean oils listed in Table 6 are from deMan, John M, PRINCIPLES OF FOOD CHEMISTRY (Avi Publishing Co., 1980) The percentages of fatty acids in emu oil are obtained from FASTRAX Ratites, Inc., Santa Ynez, Ca and were published in WO 92/084 (Ghosh et al.) who report the anti-inflammatory activity of emu oil.

V0 The tests were conducted as reported in the experiments of the previous examples. The tests were conducted outdoors in an area of wildlife in New Mexico where the predominant species of mosquitoes is the Aedes vexans, an aggressive biting insect. The tests were conducted in the early summer months in the afternoon (1430-1630 hours, Test 1) and late in the afternoon (1515-1915 hours, Test 2) near a stream at an elevation of approximately 2500 meters. In two separate tests, four subjects in total were applied approximately 2.5 mL of the fatty acid composition shown in Table 6 in the lower part of an arm. The lower part of the other arm of each subject was left untreated and served as a control.

Test 1 In test 1, three subjects were exposed for a period of two hours. Environmental bites were estimated in (3) bites per minute in each arm without treatment. No bites were received on the surfaces of the treated arms during the two hours of the test period.

Test 2 In test 2, one subject was exposed for a period of two hours. The number of environmental bites from the lower arm was measured in twenty-four (24) ten-minute periods. The number of environmental bites averaged 0.5 bites per minute and varied in a range of 0 to 1.5 bites per minute. The test subject received a bite on the surface of the lower arm in approximately 225 minutes after application of the composition. In contrast, the test subject received a total of 116 bites on the surface of the lower arm without treatment during the 240 minutes of the test period.

Therefore, these results demonstrate that the compositions consisting of mixtures of fatty oils in the oil of poultry ratites are effective as insect repellents.

Having fully described this invention, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the same can be done within a wide range of equivalent parameters, concentrations and conditions without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and without undue experimentation. While this invention has been described in connection with its specific aspects, it is understood that it is capable of further modifications. This application seeks to cover any variation, uses, or adaptations of the following inventions, in general, the principles of the invention and including such deviations from the present disclosure that occur within known or common practice in the art to which the invention pertains and which may be applied to the essential characteristics described herein by the scope of the claims.

It is noted that in relation to this date, the best method known by the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention, is the conventional one for the manufacture of the objects to which it relates.

Having described the invention as above, the content of the following is claimed as property.

Claims (21)

1. l.A composition for repelling insects characterized because it consists of ratite bird oil.
2. 2. The composition of claim 1, characterized in that the ratite birds are selected from the group consisting of rheas, emus, ostriches, kiwis and cassowaries.
3. 3. A composition for repelling insects characterized in that it comprises an active fraction of poultry oil ratites.
4. 4. The composition of claim 3, characterized in that the ratite birds are selected from the group consisting of ñandúes, emus, ostriches, kiwis and cassowaries.
5. 5. The composition of claim 4, characterized in that said active fraction is an emu oil fraction obtained by flash chromatography having an XH NMR spectrum (300 MHz, CDC13) of Figure 3 and which is active in ultraviolet light and vanillin /sulfuric acid.
6. 6. The composition of claim 4, characterized in that said active fraction is an emu oil fraction obtained by flash chromatography having an XH NMR spectrum (300 MHz, CDC13) of Figure 4 and which is not reactive to ultraviolet light and to the vanillin / sulfuric acid
7. A composition for repelling insects, characterized in that it comprises a mixture of fatty acids found in the oil of poultry ratites.
8. The composition of claim 7, characterized in that the ratite birds are selected from the group consisting of ñandúes, emus, ostriches, kiwis and cassowaries.
9. The composition of claim 7, characterized in that the fatty acids are - myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, linolenic acid, palmitoleic acid, oleic acid and linoleic acid.
10. The composition of any of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that they also comprise at least one additional insect repellent.
11. The composition of claim 10, characterized in that the insect repellent is selected from the group consisting of N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET), citronella and saponin.
12. 12. A method for repelling insect, characterized in that it consists in the local application of a composition comprising poultry oil ratites.
13. 13. The method of claim 12, characterized in that the ratite birds are selected from the group consisting of rheas, emus, ostriches, kiwi and cassowaries.
14. 14. A method for repelling insects characterized in that it comprises the local application of a composition comprising an active fraction of poultry oil ratites.
15. 15. The method of claim 14, characterized in that the ratite birds are selected from the group consisting of rheas, emus, ostriches, kiwifruit and cassowaries.
16. 16. A method for repelling insects, characterized in that it comprises the local application of a composition of fatty acids found in oils of ratite birds.
17. 17. The method of claim 16, characterized in that the fatty acids are myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, linolenic acid, palmitoleic acid, oleic acid and linoleic acid.
18. 18. A method for repelling biting insects consisting of the stage of the local application of a composition comprising an emu oil fraction, characterized in that the fraction is obtained by flash chromatography and has a 1H NMR spectrum (300 MHz, CDC13) of Figure 3 and that is active in ultraviolet light and vanillin / sulfuric acid.
19. 19. A method for repelling biting insects which consists in the stage of the local application of a composition comprising an emu oil fraction, characterized in that the fraction is obtained by flash chromatography and has an XH NMR spectrum (300 MHz, CDC13) of Figure 4 and that is not reactive to ultraviolet light and to vanillin / sulfuric acid.
20. 20. A method of any of claims 12 to 19 characterized in that the composition further comprises at least one additional insect repellent.
21. 21. The method of claim 10, characterized in that the insect repellent is selected from the group consisting of N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET), citronella and saponin.