Research Article
Y. Sarojini and K. Uma Devi
Abstract
The distribution of Poly unsaturated fatty acids exhibited a wide variation among the seven species of marine macroalgae. They were high in Phaeophyceae followed by Chlorophyceae and Rhodophyceae. The n - 3 fatty acids were 14.3% in Ulva fasciata which is the highest among the macroalgae analysed. The n – 6 fatty acids were more in Phaeophyceae than in Chlorophyceae and Rhodophyceae. The C18:2 and C18:3 were high with 7.8 and 12.9% respectively in U. fasciata. The C20:3 were relatively high in Padina tetrastromatica. The C20:4 and C20: 5 were high in Sargassum vulgare and S. tenerrimum. The n- 6/ n- 3 PUFAs ratio was 1.6 to 20.2 in Phaeophyceae, 1.28 to 1.52 in Rhodophyceae and 0.62 to 0.92 in Chlorophyceae which was lower than the WHO recommended value for diet.