The fatty acid contents of wild and cultured Australian adult blacklip abalone,
Haliotis rubra
, were analysed by gas liquid chromatography. Wild abalone
contained significantly higher levels of total n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids
(PUFA), eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3), docosapentaenoic acid (22:5n-3) and
a
-linolenic acid (18:3n-3) than cultured abalone (
P
B
/
0.05). The predominant
n-3 PUFA was docosapentaenoic acid in wild abalone, while in cultured
abalone a high level of eicosapentaenoic acid was found. The concentration of
docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3) was low in both wild and cultured abalone, and
cultured abalone had a significantly higher percentage composition of this fatty
acid than wild abalone (
P
B
/
0.01). Significantly higher levels of arachidonic
acid (20:4n-6), 22:2n-6, 22:4n-6 and total n-6 PUFA were also found in wild
abalone than in cultured animals (
P
B
/
0.05). The ratio of n-3 PUFA to n-6
PUFA was the same in wild and cultured abalone. Manipulation of nutrient
sources of cultured abalone may influence their lipid composition. Consump-
tion of either wild or cultured abalone will contribute to dietary n-3 PUFA
intake, with benefits to human health.