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Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Analysis of Fatty Acid Content and Composition in Microalgae
Published on: October 1, 2013
Production and stability of structured lipids from algal oils and capric acid
Fayez Hamam1, Fereidoon Shahidi
1Department of Biochemistry, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada A1B 3X9.
Abstract:
This study aimed to incorporate capric acid (CA) into selected algal oils, namely arachidoinc acid single cell oil (ARASCO), docosahexaenoic acid single cell oil (DHASCO) and the OMEGA-GOLD oil rich in dcosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and dosapentaenoic acid (n-6 DPA). Response surface methodology indicated that under optimum conditions (12.3% enzyme, 45 degrees C, and 29.4 h) CA incorporation was 20.0% into ARASCO; (4.2% enzyme, 43.3 degrees C, and 27.1 h) 22.6% into DHASCO and (2.5% enzyme, 46.6 degrees C and 25.2 h) 20.7% into the OMEGA-GOLD oil. Stereospecific analysis indicated that in all oils examined CA was mainly located at the sn-1 and sn-3 positions of the resultant TAG molecules while the highly unsaturated fatty acids being primarily esterified to the sn-2 positions of the three oils. In all cases, enzymatically modified oils were more susceptible to oxidation than their unmodified counterparts.
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