Progress towards Innovative and Sustainable Supplies of the Health-benefitting Long-chain Omega-3 Oils for Aquaculture

The omega-3 long-chain (LC, ≥C20) polyunsaturated fatty acids - EPA & DHA - have key roles in human health and development; many studies show that deficiencies in these fatty acids increase the risk or severity of... [ view full abstract ]

The omega-3 long-chain (LC, ≥C20) polyunsaturated fatty acids - EPA & DHA - have key roles in human health and development; many studies show that deficiencies in these fatty acids increase the risk or severity of cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases in particular. These health-benefitting fatty acids are presently predominantly sourced from marine (fish & krill) and to a lesser extent algal oils. The increasing demand for these LC omega-3 oils, particularly in aquaculture and a range of human health applications, means that there is a requirement for alternative and sustainable sources of EPA and DHA. In the case of aquaculture, the markedly changed diets in use over the past 5 years now see many farmed seafood products containing lower LC omega-3 content and also more omega-6 than omega-3 oils. We have therefore focused on maximising the production of LC omega-3 oils in oilseed, including with initial emphasis on DHA. Our team has transitioned DHA production in seed from the model species Arabidopsis through to Camelina, Brassica juncea and the target crop Brassica napus (canola). DHA levels that now exceed the amount typically found in bulk fish oil have been achieved in all these species. This presentation will describe aspects of the gene selection, the transgenic plants, and seed oil fatty acid profiles, and will also discuss the characteristics of this new oil in the context of potential downstream applications.