Production of docosahexaenoic acid from microalgae and its benefits for use in animal feeds

摘要

A significant body of scientific research has now accumulated pointing to the importance of long-chain #omega#3 fatty acids in infant and maternal nutrition and in helping adults maintain cardiovascular health . It is recognized that these fatty acids used to occur in nutritionally significant amounts in animal products such as meat and eggs, but they are now missing (or greatly reduced) in these products due. in large part, to the industrialization of agriculture . Two readily available feed ingredients, flaxseed and fish oil/meal, could be employed to restore the #omega#3 Fatty acids in food production organisms, but both of these feed ingredients have significant limitations. The #alpha#t-linolenic acid (LNA) in flaxseed must be elongated to the long-chain #omega#3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) or docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) before the health benefits listed above are realized. This elongation process is significantly limited in many animals and in humans. Fish oil has serious stability problems when added to animal feeds because the high surface area in most of these feeds readily facilitates oxidation of the fatty acids causing taste and odor problems in the resulting meat and eggs. Recognizing these problems, and the fact that microalgae and algae-like microorganisms are the primary producers of EPA and DHA in the marine environment, we attempted to develop a whole-cell microbial source of these fatty acids for use in the feed industry. Through an intensive strain collection/screening/ enrichment program, strains of thraustochytrids were isolated and identified as potential DHA production organisms. Thraustochytrids are unicellular algae-like marine microorganisms that are related to the heterokont algae.