Seasonal variations of the fatty acid content of the neutral lipids and phospholipids in the female gonad of Pecten maximus L.

Abstract 1. 1. Seasonal variations in the fatty acid levels of neutral lipids and phospholipids have been measured in the female gonad of Pecten maximus from the Baie de Seine. 2. 2. In the neutral lipids, the n-3 series polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) shows the greatest variations, the highest level of 20: 5 n-3 coicides with sexual maturity. 3. 3. In the phospholipids, 22: 6 n-3 is the main fatty acid. It is integrated into the membranes only before oocyte maturity probably as the result of a Δ 4 desaturase activation. 4. 4. Lipoperoxidative susceptibility, evaluated by malonaldehyde (MDA) levels measurement, is inversely related to PUFA concentration, showing a minimum at sexual maturity and a maximum after summer spawning and in water. 5. 5. The saturated fatty acids (SFA) show no clear seasonal variation.