Composition and Structure of Single Cell Oil Produced by Schizochytrium limacinum SR31

Schizochytrium limacinum sp. was commercially utilized to produce single cell oil (SCO), but its detailed lipid profile remains unknown. In order to analyze the composition and structure of SCO produced by Schizochytrium limacinum SR31, the SCO extracted at stationary growth phase was separated into neutral lipids (NL), polar lipids and glycolipids by using silica gel column chromatography. The result of lipid classes in NL revealed that triacylglycerol (TAG) was the primary glyceride (93.81 %). Fatty acid (FA) analysis by gas chromatography–mass spectrometer (GC–MS) proved that palmitic acid (29.78 %) and docosahexaenoic acid (25.64 %) were the major FA. Quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry in electrospray ionization mode coupled with ultra-performance liquid chromatography was carried out to investigate TAG structures. More than 80 species were identified. Positional distribution of FA in TAG might contribute to further study of the FA shifts during the lipid turnover stage and nutritional evaluation of the SCO.