Lipid, sterol and fatty acid composition of antarctic krill ( Euphausia superba Dana)

• Published in: Lipids
• Main Authors: Fricke, H., Gercken, G., Schreiber, W., Oehlenschläger, J.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1984
• Subjects: Antarctic; Antarctic Ocean; Gerlache; Gerlache Strait; Scotia Sea; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctic Krill; Euphausia superba
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/bf02534510; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1007/BF02534510

Abstract The lipid classes, fatty acids of total and individual lipids and sterols of Antarctic krill ( Euphausia superba Dana) from two areas of the Antarctic Ocean were analyzed by thin layer chromatography (TLC), gas liquid chromatography (GLC) and gas liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (GLC/MS). Basic differences in the lipid composition of krill from the Scotia Sea (caught in Dec. 1977) and krill from the Gerlache Strait (caught in Mar. 1981) were not observed. The main lipid classes found were: phosphatidylcholine (PC) (33–36%), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) (5–6%), triacylglycerol (TG) (33–40%), free fatty acids (FFA) (8–16%) and sterols (1.4–1.7%). Wax esters and sterol esters were present only in traces. More than 50 fatty acids could be identified using GLC/MS, the major ones being 14∶0, 16∶0, 16∶1(n−7), 18∶1(n−9), 18∶1(n−7), 20∶5(n−3) and 22∶6(n−3). Phytanic acid was found in a concentration of 3% of total fatty acids. Short, medium‐chain and hydroxy fatty acids (C≤10) were not detectable. The sterol fraction consisted of cholesterol, desmosterol and 22‐dehydrocholesterol.