Abstract
A thorough analysis of the fatty acid profiles of stipe and blade from the kelp species Laminaria hyperborea is presented. Lipid extracts were fractionated into neutral lipids, free fatty acids, and polar lipids, prior to derivatization and GC-MS analysis. A total of 42 fatty acids were identified and quantified, including the n-3 fatty acids α-linolenic acid, stearidonic acid, and eicosapentaenoic acid. The fatty acid amounts are higher in blade than in stipe (7.42 mg/g dry weight and 2.57 mg/g dry weight, resp.). The highest amounts of n-3 fatty acids are found within the neutral lipid fractions with 590.6 ug/g dry weight and 100.9 ug/g dry weight for blade and stipe, respectively. The amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids are 3.4 times higher in blade than stipe. The blade had the highest PUFA/SFA ratio compared to stipe (1.02 versus 0.76) and the lowest n-6/n-3 ratio (0.8 versus 3.5). This study highlights the compositional differences between the lipid fractions of stipe and blade from L. hyperborea. The amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids compared to saturated- and monounsaturated fatty acids is known to influence human health. In the pharmaceutical, food, and feed industries, this can be of importance for production of different health products.
Highlights
The increase in world population and lack of sufficient food beg for new sources of food and feed
The total FA (TFA) content relative to dry weight in blade and stipe was 0.74% and 0.26%, respectively. This 3 : 1 ratio between blade and stipe is consistent with Schmid and Stengels [24] findings of within-plant variations for the same species, even though they had twice the TFA content (0.5% and 1.5% in stipe and blade, resp.)
The fatty acid profile was determined for the NL, free fatty acids (FFAs), and polar lipids (PLs) fractions in stipe and blade separately
Summary
The increase in world population and lack of sufficient food beg for new sources of food and feed. As much as 60% of the world food energy intake is provided by the cereals wheat, rice, and corn [1]. These cereals, while high in metabolizable energy and carbohydrates, have small amounts of important nutrients such as proteins, minerals, vitamins (especially A and C), and fatty acids, especially long chained polyunsaturated n-3 fatty acids [2,3,4]. A promising supplement for food and feed is a better utilization of marine resources. At present time in Scandinavia and other Western countries, the utilization of seaweeds is limited to industrial products, such as alginate, agar, carrageenan, and thickeners, and only scarcely used in food and feed industries. Norway is privileged due to the long coastline combined with the presence of nutritious ocean currents (North Atlantic Drift and Norwegian Coastal Current), which ensure a good climate for growth of marine flora and fauna
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