ABSTRACT
The very long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (VLCPUFA) docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) is usually associated with marine fish oil. However, marine fish do not synthesize this fatty acid (FA) de novo, lacking key enzymatic activities required (1). Instead fish obtain DHA, along with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3), another VLCPUFA, from their diet. The major primary producers of both of these nutritionally significant VLCPUFA appear to be marine microalgae, of which the dinoflagellates are second only to diatoms as primary producers in coastal waters (2).
