Southern Australian seaweeds: A promising resource for omega-3 fatty acids

Matthias Schmid; Lesleigh G K Kraft; Luna M van der Loos; Gerald T Kraft; Patti Virtue; Peter D Nichols; Catriona L Hurd

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2018.05.060

Southern Australian seaweeds: A promising resource for omega-3 fatty acids

Food Chem. 2018 Nov 1:265:70-77. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2018.05.060. Epub 2018 May 12.

Authors

Matthias Schmid¹, Lesleigh G K Kraft², Luna M van der Loos³, Gerald T Kraft⁴, Patti Virtue⁵, Peter D Nichols⁶, Catriona L Hurd⁷

Affiliations

¹ Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia. Electronic address: matthias.schmid@utas.edu.au.
² Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia; University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada.
³ Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia; University of Groningen, Marine Ecology, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands.
⁴ School of Botany, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic, Australia. Electronic address: gtk@unimelb.edu.au.
⁵ Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia; CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, Hobart, TAS, Australia. Electronic address: p.virtue@utas.edu.au.
⁶ Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia; CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, Hobart, TAS, Australia. Electronic address: peter.nichols@csiro.au.
⁷ Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia. Electronic address: catriona.hurd@utas.edu.au.

PMID: 29884396
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2018.05.060

Abstract

To assess the suitability of southern-Australian macroalgae as potential marine resources for fatty acids (FA), and in particular polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), analysis of 61 species, comprising of 11 Chlorophyta, 17 Phaeophyceae (Ochrophyta) and 33 Rhodophyta, was conducted. Total fatty acid (TFA) concentrations varied considerably (between 0.6 and 7.8 in % of dry weight (DW)) between species, with on average the highest concentrations being in the Phaeophyceae, then the Chlorophyta, and with the Rhodophyta recording the lowest average concentrations. Results revealed significant differences in the fatty acid profiles of the three algal groups. Most species exhibit high proportions of PUFA in their fatty acid profile and a low ratio of n-6/n-3 PUFA. These properties highlight the potential for southern-Australian macroalgae to be used for these FA in food, animal feed and nutraceutical applications.

Keywords: EPA; Fatty acid profiles; LC-PUFA; Macroalgae; Omega-3 fatty acids.

MeSH terms

Animals
Australia
Dietary Supplements / analysis
Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / analysis*
Seaweed / chemistry*
Species Specificity

Substances

Fatty Acids, Omega-3