Comparison of fatty acid composition and positional distribution of microalgae triacylglycerols for human milk fat substitutes

Microalgae are renewable and valuable natural sources of triacylglycerol (TAG) for nutritional application or specific purposes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the TAGs produced by twelve microalgae species for production of human milk fat substitutes (HMFs). The investigated species were Chlorella vulgaris (CV-15 and CV-395), Chlorella zofingiensis, Chlorella pyrenoidosa, Scenedesmus sp., Chlorococcum sp., Nitzschia laevis, Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Isochrysis sp., Isochrysis galbana, Nannochloropsis oceanica and Nannochloropsis salina. The total fatty acids (TFAs) contents of these species varied from 15.9 to 31.1%. TAG was the main lipid class (65.1-91.0%). Based on the evaluation model in view of the fatty acid composition and positional distribution of TAGs by GC-MS and C-13 NMR, among the tested species, Isochrysis-derived TAGs mimicking human milk TAGs (HMTs) gave the highest G values (deducting score) that were close to that of lard. The G value (69.2) of Isochrysis sp. TAG was within the range of G value for local infant formulas; whereas, the G value (61.2) of I. galbana TAG was a bit lower than the lower limit of local infant formulas. Moreover, the melting and crystallization properties of TAGs from Isochrysis sp. and I. galbana were similar to those of HMTs. These results showed that Isochrysis TAGs could be promising candidates for HMFs feedstock.