Fatty Acid and Lipid Class Composition of the Microalga Phaeodactylum tricornutum.

n-3 Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are essential for the prevention and/or risk reduction of some diseases, including cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Therefore, PUFAs-rich marine microalgae have received considerable research attention. The diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum, a rich source of lipids and fucoxanthin, has commercial applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries. In this study, the lipid class composition and fatty acid distribution in P. tricornutum under high-density and scale-up cultivation were investigated by thin-layer chromatography and gas chromatography. The fucoxanthin content was quantified by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Both total lipid and fucoxanthin contents were high, accounting for 321.89 and 4.47 mg/g dry weight, respectively. Neutral lipids were the major lipids, and triacylglycerol was the predominant neutral lipids (33.63% of total lipids). The glycolipids (GLs) and phospholipids (PLs) represented 20.95% and 31.39% of total lipids, respectively. Sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol (SQDG) was the largest GLs fraction (9.81% of total lipids). Phosphatidylglycerol (PG) was the major PLs and accounted for 13.53% of total lipids. The main fatty acids were hexadecanoic acid (C16:0), palmitoleic acid (C16:1), and eicosapentaenoic acid. In addition, docosahexaenoic acid only accumulated in the PLs fraction. These findings provide new information on the lipid types, fatty acid composition of each lipid class, and the fucoxanthin content in P. tricornutum.