Omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) have been shown to be beneficial for human health and the primary dietary sources of these fatty acids are fish. The increasing demand for fish oils puts pressure on the natural marine resources and highlights the need to identify alternative sustainable sources.
Rothamsted Research scientists have successfully engineered the metabolic processes in the seed of false flax (Camelina sativa) to produce up to 12% EPA and 14% DHA. These amounts are very similar to those found in fish oil. The study is published in The Plant Journal.
The Omega-3 LC-PUFAs that are beneficial for health are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). They modulate both metabolic and immune processes and confer health benefits in areas of Cardiovascular Heart Disease (CHD) and neurodevelopment.
Plant sources of Omega-3, e.g. Flax seed, do not produce EPA and DHA; instead they produce shorter chain Omega-3 fatty acids such as a-linolenic acid (ALA) which does not confer the health-beneficial properties associated with EPA and DHA.
Dr Olga Sayanova, Rothamsted Research scientist: "In this work we used as a starting point a plant that is rich in ALA which is the building block that is used to produce EPA and DHA Omega-3 oils. Having identified in marine algae and other photosynthetic marine organisms the essential genes required to make these beneficial oils, we assembled them together and we introduced them to the Camelina plant. In the first instance, we introduced five genes and on average 24% of the total oil content in the plant seed was EPA. Then we introduced seven genes and in that case on average 8% of the total oil content in the seed of the plant was DHA and 11% EPA. We had instances that these percentages were 14% and 12% respectively. The average accumulation of these oils in the transgenic Camelina plants is comparable to those found in fish oil but Camelina makes none of these naturally."
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