Promising Sources of Plant-Derived Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids: A Narrative Review

Abstract

(1) Background: Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are known for their ability to protect against numerous metabolic disorders. The consumption of oily fish is the main source of PUFAs in human nutrition and is commonly used for supplement production. However, seafood is an overexploited source that cannot be guaranteed to cover the global demands. Furthermore, it is not consumed by everyone for ecological, economic, ethical, geographical and taste reasons. The growing demand for natural dietary sources of PUFAs suggests that current nutritional sources are insufficient to meet global needs, and less and less will be. Therefore, it is crucial to find sustainable sources that are acceptable to all, meeting the world population's needs. (2) Scope: This review aims to evaluate the recent evidence about alternative plant sources of essential fatty acids, focusing on long-chain omega-3 (n-3) PUFAs. (3) Method: A structured search was performed on the PubMed search engine to select available human data from interventional studies using omega-3 fatty acids of non-animal origin. (4) Results: Several promising sources have emerged from the literature, such as algae, microorganisms, plants rich in stearidonic acid and GM plants. However, the costs, acceptance and adequate formulation deserve further investigation.

Keywords: alpha-linolenic acid; diet; docosahexaenoic acids; eicosapentaenoic acid; fatty acids; fish oils; microalgae; omega-3; seaweed; stearidonic acid; unsaturated; vegetarian.

Figure 1

Chemical structures of selected essential fatty acids: (a) short-chain essential fatty acids; (b) long-chain essential fatty acids.

Figure 2

Catabolism of long-chain PUFAs and bioactive molecules formation. Adapted from references [41,42,43,44].

Figure 3

Biosynthesis of essential fatty acids [79,80,81].