• KSBB Journal
• /
• v.24 no.6
• /
• pp.521-526
• /
• 2009

Fatty acid is an important component of many biological processes. However, an imbalance in diet-especially, a n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) deficiency-causes several diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. In this study, we analyzed the fatty acid contents and compositions of 26 species of Korean salt marsh plants and found high fatty acid contents from S. herbacea ($148.75\;{\mu}g$/mg-dry wt.), S. komarvii ($119.05\;{\mu}g$/mg-dry wt.), C. heterocarpa ($79.23\;{\mu}g$/mg-dry wt.), A. capillaris ($71.65\;{\mu}g$/mg-dry wt.), and L. tetragonum ($67.02\;{\mu}g$/mg-dry wt.). In the case of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) composition, palmitic acid is richest in most salt marsh plants. On the other hand, oleic acid and linoleic acid are major components of monounsaturated fatty acid and n-6 PUFA, respectively. In addition, n-3 PUFAs such as LNA (linolenic acid), EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) known as the main fatty acid components of fish oils and seaweeds, were also found in S. herbacea, S. komarvii, T. tetragonoides, A. capillaris and G. littoralis.