DOCOSAHEXAENOIC ACID FROM MICROALGAE

二十二碳六烯酸（DHA）是最丰富的长链多不饱和脂肪酸， 大脑灰质中的脂肪酸 尽管人类拥有 将膳食中的亚麻酸转化为DHA的能力， 这表明这个过程是缓慢的。 因此，在大多数情况下， 在生命的最初几个月，大脑发育迅速， 对膳食DHA的关键需求。 虽然DHA是提供给一个护士 由于婴儿来自母乳，大多数婴儿配方奶粉严重缺乏 DHA。 在婴儿配方奶粉中添加鱼油的尝试导致了 由于强烈的鱼腥味和味道以及高水平的 二十碳五烯酸（EPA）。 因此，需要一种 作为婴儿营养补充剂的含DHA的替代油 有必要进一步研究吸收和 哺乳母亲和婴儿的膳食DHA代谢。 在第一阶段，我们鉴定了一种微藻菌株（MK 8805）， 在传统的发酵罐中发酵，产生富含DHA（30-40%）的油， 缺乏EPA。 我们的第二阶段活动将集中于进一步 优化这种生物的DHA油生产，开发 石油开采和回收的新方法， 石油的评价。

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is the most abundant long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid in the grey matter of the brain. Although man has the capability of converting dietary linolenic acid into DHA, the evidence suggests that this process is slow. Consequently, at the time of most rapid brain development in the first few months of life, there is a critical demand for dietary DHA. Although DHA is provided to a nursing infant from mother's milk, most infant formulas are severely deficient in DHA. Attempts at supplementing infant formulas with fish oils have led to rejection due to the strong fishey odor and taste and high levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Consequently, there is a need for an alternative DHA- containing oil as a nutritional supplement for infant formulations, and there is a need for further research on the uptake and metabolism of dietary DHA by both nursing mother and infant. During Phase I we identified a microalgal strain (MK8805) which could grow in a conventional fermenter and produced an oil rich in DHA (30-40%) and deficient in EPA. Our Phase II activities will concentrate on further optimization of the DHA oil production from this organism, development of new methods for oil extraction and recovery, and an initial toxicological assessment of the oil.