Analytical Method Assessment for the Determination of DHA and Fatty Acids Present in Unextracted Aurantiochytrium limacinum Biomass

Abstract

Research into long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA), such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA C22:6 n-3), has shown that their inclusion in the human diet is linked with many health benefits. This has led to an increased interest in the enrichment of certain foodstuffs with DHA by supplementing animal fed with DHA-rich ingredients which can lead to an increased uptake in the meat, milk and eggs animal by-products. The microalgae Aurantiochytrium limacinum has been found to be especially useful in this pursuit. It is subsequently desirable to availably have a simple and robust method for the routine analysis of DHA and other fatty acids in the algal biomass. The AOAC method 996.06 is often followed for the analysis of fatty acids in foods and demonstrating that its fitness for purpose in the analysis of DHA and additional fatty acids in Aurantiochytrium limacinum is therefore the objective of this paper. A validation of the method for the determination of DHA and three other fatty acids in Aurantiochytrium limacinum is presented. The method was found to be linear over the following ranges for each fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) analyte; 50 to 15,000 µg/ml (C14:0), 300 to 95,000 (C16:0), 25 to 15,000 (C18:0) and 300 to 59,375 (C22:6). The accuracy, precision and LOD and LOQ of the method were confirmed and its robustness tested. The application of the method to assess the stability of Aurantiochytrium limacinum containing two alternative antioxidants was further examined. The investigation showed that DHA was stable over six months with the inclusion of either Duralox® or ethoxyquin as an antioxidant and ethoxyquin could additionally stabilize DHA in Aurantiochytrium limacinum up to 24 months.