Traditional and novel sources of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids

Abstract Driven by a rising population and an increased health benefit awareness, the demand for sustainable n-3 LC-PUFA sources of high quality is rising. Traditional sources fish and fish oil have by far been the most important in supplying these healthy fatty acids that cannot be synthetized by human. However, they cannot solely cover global human n-3 LC-PUFA needs and are already threatened by an overexploitation. Moreover, farmed fish (of which the production is increasing) also depends on the existing wild fish stock to be a high-quality n-3 LC-PUFA source. Therefore novel n-3 LC-PUFA sources are emerging. Alternative marine resources, microalgae, and transgenic plants have shown their potential as n-3 LC-PUFA source, but they are challenged by different limitations. These will need to be tackled to ensure a sustainable n-3 LC-PUFA supply. The current chapter discusses both traditional and novel sources in terms of importance, production, sustainability and quality.