The long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC n-3 PUFA) are associated
with a broad range of health benefits including reducing the risk of cardiovascular
diseases, arthritis and certain cancers. In addition, they have also been found to play
a role in reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, depression and schizophrenia.
Seafoods are the main sources of LC n-3 PUFA. The LC n-3 PUFA and total lipid
contents of marine animals can be influenced by a range of biological and
environmental factors such as the diet of animals, water temperature, and the
reproductive cycle. This research looked at the effects of dietary fish oil (FO)
supplements on tissue fatty acid composition, expression of desaturase and elongase
genes and growth performance of adult cultured Jade Tiger hybrid abalone. It also
examined the effects of replacement of FO with vegetable oils on fatty acid
composition, expression of desaturase and elongase genes, and growth performance
of abalone. In addition the contents of total lipid and fatty acid of tissues were also
examined over four seasons.