Oral Bioavailability of Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Carotenoids from the Microalgae Phaeodactylum tricornutum in Healthy Young Adults.

Konstantin Frick,Stephan C Bischoff,Katja Lehnert,Alexander Montoya-Arroyo,Lena Stiefvatter,Jan Frank,Walter Vetter,Ulrike Schmid-Staiger

doi:10.3390/md19120700

Abstract

The microalgae Phaeodactylum tricornutum (PT) contains valuable nutrients such as proteins, polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids (n-3 PUFA), particularly eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and some docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), carotenoids such as fucoxanthin (FX), and beta-glucans, which may confer health benefits. In a randomized intervention trial involving 22 healthy individuals, we administered for two weeks in a crossover manner the whole biomass of PT (5.3 g/day), or fish oil (FO) containing equal amounts of EPA and DHA (together 300 mg/day). In an additional experiment, sea fish at 185 g/week resulting in a similar EPA and DHA intake was administered in nine individuals. We determined the bioavailability of fatty acids and carotenoids and assessed safety parameters. The intake of PT resulted in a similar increase in the n-3 PUFA and EPA content and a decrease in the PUFA n-6:n-3 ratio in plasma. PT intake caused an uptake of FX that is metabolized to fucoxanthinol (FXOH) and amarouciaxanthin A (AxA). No relevant adverse effects occurred following PT consumption. The study shows that PT is a safe and effective source of EPA and FX—and likely other nutrients—and therefore should be considered as a future sustainable food item.

Highlights

The world population is growing, while food sources are limited and become eventually further limited because of climate changes, resulting in serious restrictions and a need for novel food sources [1]
Adverse effects following administration of Phaeodactylum tricornutum (PT) and other study products were monitored by a diary, in which the participants documented their complaints, and by a questionnaire conducted at each study visit by the personnel
15 participants did not mention any adverse events while taking PT or fish oil (FO) and no one had a side effect from eating fish

Summary

Introduction

The world population is growing, while food sources are limited and become eventually further limited because of climate changes, resulting in serious restrictions and a need for novel food sources [1]. Relevant sources for carotenoids are egg yolks since animals accumulate lutein and zeaxanthin there [7], milk, salmon, fish, or crustaceans, and in the future possibly selected microalgae [8]. A prominent carotenoid, β-carotene, is an antioxidant, protecting from reactive oxygen species (ROS) and free radical-induced damage, and a precursor of vitamin A [9,10]. Xanthophylls, another type of carotenoids, exhibit higher antioxidant capacity compared to β-carotene by scavenging free radicals and quenching singlet oxygen [11]. The brown color comes from the combination of the green chlorophyll and the red xanthophyll FX

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