The saturated fatty acid content of the total lipids
(SFAC/TL) and the total fatty acids (SFAC/TFA)
were calculated and are expressed as % (p/p). N.
oculata exhibited the highest SFAC/TL, although
this value was not significantly different from those
of the species T. pseudonana, Isochrysis sp., I.
galbana and P. tricornutum. I. galbana exhibited
the highest SFAC/TFA, although this value did
not differ significantly from those of the species T.
fluviatilis, P. tricornutum, N. oculata and T. chuii
(Table 1). The species I. galbana and T. fluviatilis
contain more than 50% SFA, including both TL and
TFA. In other words, they produce lower levels of
unsaturated fatty acids (UFA), which are the most
desirable for human and animal nutrition. LópezElías
et al. (2003) found a 60% SFAC/TL level in
Chaetoceros sp., a higher value than that observed
in the present study (Table 1)