Fatty Acid Distribution in Lipids of Marine Plankton

Abstract

In the diatom, Skeletonema costatum, as well as in a zooplankton sample, the polyunsaturated fatty acids of the triglycerides were found accumulated in the β-position of the glycerol. This fatty acid distribution pattern is typical for animal fats, in particular for fish oils. Together with the recent demonstration that fish and invertebrates retain in part the structure of ingested triglycerides, the findings of the present study show that the typical structure of marine triglycerides originates in phytoplankton and is to a large degree retained through the marine food chains.The fatty acid composition of several other lipid fractions of the plankton samples was also determined.