Microalgae: A renewable source for obtaining omega-3 long-chain fatty acids for human and animal nutrition

Omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 LCPUFA) EPA and DHA, are currently considered of nutritional importance due the numerous positive health effects observed from its administration both in human and animal nutrition. However, sources to provide these fatty acids for supplementation are not abundant, being mainly fish oil in the case of humans and fish meal and fish oil in the case of animals, the main nutritional sources of omega-3 LCPUFA. However, fish meal and fish oil are products that have begun to diminish its availability primarily due to overexploitation of the fish resource, which currently produces a high cost of these products. Some vegetable oils contain alpha-linolenic acid, which is also an omega-.3 fatty acid and the precursor of omega-3 LCPUFA, but that does not replace EPA and DHA in their nutritional effects. More recently microalgae have emerged as a renewable alternative for obtaining of omega-3 LCPUFA, mainly for its composition of EPA and/or DHA and good extractive yielding. these microorganisms can be artificially cultivated at industrial scale and properly processed as such (lyophilized, microencapsulated) or the oil and/or phospholipids extracted from these organisms (expended as such or microencapsulated), can be used for be added to a variety of foods for humans and animals feed (pets, animal feedlots, fish farming, among others). this paper analyzes the potential for the use of microalgae as source of omega-3 LCPUFA for human and animal nutrition.