Fatty acid methyl ester profiles and nutritive values of 20 marine microalgae in Korea

Objective: To screen the fatty acid (FA) composition of 20 marine microalgae species, including seven Diophyceae, six Bacillariophyceae, four Chlorophyceae, two Haptophyceae and one Raphidophyceae species. Methods: Microalgal cells cultured at the Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology were harvested during the late exponential growth phase and the FA composition analyzed. Results: The FA composition of microalgae was species-specific. For example, seven different species of Dinophyceae were composed primarily of C14:0, C16:0, C18:0, C20:4n-6, C20:5n-3 and C22:6n-3, while C14:0, C16:0, C16:1, C18:0, C20:5n-3 and C22:6n-3 were abundant FAs in six species of Bacillariophyceae. In addition, four Chlorophyceae, two Haptophyceae and one Raphidophyceae species all contained a high degree of C16:1n-7 [(9.28-34.91)% and (34.48-35.04)%], C14:0 [(13.34-25.96)%] and [(26.69-28.24)%], and C16:0 [(5.89-29.15)%] and [(5.70-16.81)%]. Several factors contribute to the nutritional value of microalgae, including the polyunsaturated FA content and n-3 to n-6 FA ratio, which could be used to assess the nutritional quality of microalgae. Conclusions: This study is the first comprehensive assessment of the FA composition and nutritional value of microalgae species in South Korea, and identifies the potential utility of FAs as species-specific biomarkers.