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LC-PUFA from photosynthetic microalgae: occurrence, biosynthesis, and prospects in biotechnology

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Abstract

Microalgae offer potential for numerous commercial applications, among them the production of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs). These valuable fatty acids are important for a variety of nutraceutical and pharmaceutical purposes, and the market for these products is continually growing. An appropriate ratio of LC-PUFA of the ω-3 and ω-6 groups is vital for “healthy” nutrition, and adequate dietary intake has strong health benefits in humans. Microalgae of diverse classes are primary natural producers of LC-PUFA. This mini-review presents an introductory overview of LC-PUFA-related health benefits in humans, describes LC-PUFA occurrence in diverse microalgal classes, depicts the major pathways of their biosynthesis in microalgae, and discusses the prospects for microalgal LC-PUFA production.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank their colleagues from the Microalgal Biotechnology Laboratory for fruitful discussions and acknowledge Camille Vainstein for professional English language editing.

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  1. Umidjon Iskandarov

    Present address: Department of Biochemistry and Center for Plant Science Innovation, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, 68503, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The French Associates Institute for Dryland Agriculture and Biotechnologies, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, 84990, Israel

    Inna Khozin-Goldberg, Umidjon Iskandarov & Zvi Cohen

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  1. Inna Khozin-Goldberg
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  2. Umidjon Iskandarov
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Correspondence to Inna Khozin-Goldberg.

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Khozin-Goldberg, I., Iskandarov, U. & Cohen, Z. LC-PUFA from photosynthetic microalgae: occurrence, biosynthesis, and prospects in biotechnology. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 91, 905–915 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-011-3441-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-011-3441-x

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