Fatty Acid Profile of Spirulina platensis Used as a Food Supplement

The commercially produced multicellular microalgae, Spirulina platensis, is widely consumed by humans in the Aegean area of Turkey as a food additive or a whole food. The fatty acid profiles of six commercial tablets produced from S. platensis in Turkey and one from China were determined. The samples contained 33.68-66.75% saturated fatty acids (SFA) and 28.20-47.78% polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 and n-6 PUFA). Spirulina platensis is a rich source of gamma linolenic acid (GLA), which accounted for 4.07-22.51% of the fatty acids. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were found in only two samples where they accounted for 1.79 and 7.70%, and 2.28 and 2.88%, respectively. There was a significant (p<0.05) variation among samples in total SFA, monosaturated fatty acids (MUFA), PUFA, GLA, total unsaturated fatty acids (UFA), and ratio of n-3 to n-6 PUFA. The S. platensis samples from Turkey were classified by fatty acid profile using two multivariate statistical methods, Principal Component Analysis and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis. Clustering produced defined groups according to production site.