Impact of microalgal species on the oxidative stability of n-3 LC-PUFA enriched tomato puree

Abstract Different microalgal species are a sustainable, alternative source of omega-3 long chain poly-unsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LC-PUFA) and can be incorporated into the food chain. However, the impact of microalgal species, photoautotrophic versus heterotrophic, on the enrichment of food products with n-3 LC-PUFA and their oxidative stability has never been studied before. This study provides greater insight into the impact of the microalgal species in enriched tomato puree. Therefore, four microalgal species (three photoautotrophic: Isochrysis, Nannochloropsis and Phaeodactylum and one heterotrophic: Schizochytrium ) were compared to each other and analyzed for their amount of n-3 LC-PUFA, antioxidants, free fatty acids and lipid oxidation products. Photoautotrophic microalgal species were able to create a tomato puree rich in n-3 LC-PUFA without compromising the oxidative stability. On the other hand, tomato puree, although rich in antioxidants, was not able to keep the n-3 LC-PUFA in purees supplemented with Schizochytrium biomass oxidatively stable.