Abstract
Euphausia pacifica is a good candidate for a resource of marine n-3 PUFA. However, few reports exist of the lipid and fatty acid composition of E. pacifica. To examine the potential of E. pacifica as a resource of marine n-3 PUFA, we analyzed E. pacifica oil. We extracted lipids from E. pacifica harvested from the Pacific Ocean near Sanriku, Japan. Lipid classes of E. pacifica oil were analyzed by TLC-FID and the fatty acid composition of the oil was analyzed by GC/MS. Free fatty acids and hydroxy-fatty acids were analyzed by LC/QTOFMS. The lipid content of E. pacifica ranged from 1.30% to 3.57%. The ratios of triacylglycerols, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine and free fatty acids in E. pacifica lipids were 5.3–23.0%, 32.6–53.4%, 8.5–25.4% and 2.5–7.0%, respectively. The content of n-3 PUFA in E. pacifica lipids was 38.6–46.5%. We also showed that E. pacifica contains unusual fatty acids and derivatives: C16-PUFAs (9,12-hexadecadienoic acid, 6,9,12-hexadecatrienoic acid and 6,9,12,15-hexadecatetraenoic acid) and hydroxy-PUFAs (8-HETE and 10-HDoHE). E. pacifica is a good resource of marine n-3 PUFA. Moreover, E. pacifica can provide C16-PUFA and hydroxy-PUFAs.
Highlights
The common term ‘krill’ refers to Euphausiids, a group of small crustaceans that comprises over 80 species
The lipid content was higher in E. superba than in E. pacifica; especially, the amount of TG was high in E. superba
We showed that the oil content of E. pacifica was 1.30–3.57%, approximately half of which consisted of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine
Summary
The common term ‘krill’ refers to Euphausiids, a group of small crustaceans that comprises over 80 species. The effects of marine n-3 PUFAs on various risk factors of cardiovascular disease are in well documented4 Reports on these health benefits have led to an increase in demand for products containing marine n-3 PUFAs. At present, the main source of marine n-3 PUFAs is fish oil. Tissue Whole Whole Whole Whole Whole Whole Ovary Ovary Ovary Liver Muscle Gill and C16-polyunsaturated fatty acid are rare lipids and have scarcely been reported in other marine animals. These could suggest that krill have a unique system of lipid metabolism. To evaluate E. pacifica oil as a resource of marine n-3 PUFA and to determine the fatty acid and hydroxy-fatty acid compositions in E. pacifica, we analyzed E. pacifica lipids and thereby identified C16-polyunsaturated- and hydroxy-fatty acids
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