Fatty acid profile of cultured green abalone (Haliotis fulgens) exposed to lipid restriction and long-term starvation

Abstract

The fatty acid composition of juvenile green abalone (Haliotis fulgens) exposed to lipid restriction and long-term starvation was studied. Juvenile organisms were acclimated during 26 days and then randomly separated into three treatment groups. One group was fed a restricted diet containing low lipid content (0.14%), another was fed a rich diet containing the optimal lipid content (5.1%), and the third was kept under starvation conditions. After 90 days, the abalone fed the restricted diet showed a significant increase in 18:1n-9 content and a decrease in n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), but the total lipid level remained similar to that observed before the treatment, suggesting lipogenesis. On the other hand, no changes in total lipid content and fatty acid profile were found during the 90-day treatment using the rich lipid diet compared with the initial samples. Starved abalone showed that lipids did not constitute the main energy source and that the concentrations of long-chain PUFA did not change throughout the 90-day starvation period.