Single-Cell Oils as a Source of Omega-3 Fatty Acids: An Overview of Recent Advances

Omega-3 fatty acids, namely docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid, have been linked to several beneficial health effects (i.e. mitigation effects of hypertension, stroke, diabetes, osteoporosis, depression, schizophrenia, asthma, macular degeneration, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.). The main s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society 2013-02, Vol.90 (2), p.167-182
Main Authors: Armenta, Roberto E, Valentine, Mercia C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agriculture
animals
antioxidants
asthma
Biomaterials
Biotechnology
Carotenoids
Chemistry
Chemistry and Materials Science
diabetes
Docosahexaenoic acid
Edible oils
Eicosapentaenoic acid
Fatty acids
Fermentation
Fish oils
Food Science
Hypertension
Industrial Chemistry/Chemical Engineering
Macular degeneration
market prices
markets
Mental disorders
Microorganisms
Oils & fats
Omega‐3 fatty acids
Omega‐6 fatty acids
Osteoporosis
Oxidation
Review Article
Rheumatoid arthritis
Schizochytrium
Single cell oils
stroke
Thraustochytrids
Thraustochytrium
tocopherols
Ulkenia
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Summary:Omega-3 fatty acids, namely docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid, have been linked to several beneficial health effects (i.e. mitigation effects of hypertension, stroke, diabetes, osteoporosis, depression, schizophrenia, asthma, macular degeneration, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.). The main source of omega-3 fatty acids is fish oil; lately however, fish oil market prices have increased significantly. This has prompted a significant amount of research on the use of single-cell oils as a source of omega-3 fatty acids. Some of the microbes reported to produce edible oil that contains omega-3 fatty acids are from the genus Schizochytrium, Thraustochytrium and Ulkenia. An advantage of a single cell oil is that it usually contains a significant amount of natural antioxidants (i.e. carotenoids and tocopherols), which can protect omega-3 fatty acids from oxidation, hence making this oil less prone to oxidation than oils derived from plants and marine animals. Production yields of single cell oils and of omega-3 fatty acids vary with the microbe used, with the fermentative growing conditions, and extractive procedures employed to recover the oil. This paper presents an overview of recent advances, reported within the last 10 years, in the production of single cell oils rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
ISSN:0003-021X
1558-9331
DOI:10.1007/s11746-012-2154-3