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Determination of Digestibility, Tissue Deposition, and Metabolism of the Omega-3 Fatty Acid Content of Krill Protein Concentrate in Growing Rats
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2010)
  • Kayla M Bridges
  • Joseph C. Gigliotti, Liberty University
  • Stephanie Altman
  • Jacek Jaczynski
  • Janet C. Tou
Abstract
Krill protein concentrate (KPC) consists of high-quality protein (77.7% dry basis) and lipids (8.1% dry basis) that are rich (27% of total fatty acids) in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFAs). The objective of the study was to determine digestibility, tissue deposition, metabolism, and tissue oxidative stability of the ω-3 PUFAs provided by KPC. Young female Sprague−Dawley rats (n = 10/group) were fed ad libitum isocaloric diets for 4 weeks with either 10% freeze-dried KPC or 10% casein. The casein diet contained 5.3% added corn oil (CO), whereas the KPC contained 5.3% total lipids from 0.9% krill oil (KO) provided by KPC and 4.4% added corn oil (KO + CO). Fatty acid compositions of various tissues were analyzed by gas chromatography. Lipid peroxidation was determined by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). Total antioxidant capacity and urinary eicosanoid metabolites were determined by enzyme immunoassay. The ω-3 PUFAs provided in KO from KPC increased (P = 0.003) docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) concentration in the brain. DHA and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) content in fat pads and liver were increased (P < 0.01), whereas the ω-6 PUFA, arachidonic acid (AA), was decreased (P < 0.01) in rats fed the KPC diet containing the KO + CO mixture compared to rats fed the casein diet containing pure CO. Feeding the KPC diet decreased pro-inflammatory 2-series prostaglandin and thromboxane metabolites. There was no significant difference in TBARS or total antioxidant capacity in the tissues of rats fed the different diets. On the basis of the study results, the low amount of ω-3 PUFAs provided by the KO content of KPC provides beneficial effects of increasing tissue EPA and DHA deposition and reduced AA-derived 2-series eicosanoid metabolites without increasing lipid peroxidation. Therefore, consumption of KPC has the potential to provide a healthy and sustainable source of ω-3 PUFAs.
Keywords
  • Krill protein concentrate,
  • ω-3 PUFAs,
  • docosahexaenoic acid,
  • eicosapentaenoic acid,
  • arachidonic acid
Publication Date
February 4, 2010
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1021/jf9036408
Citation Information
Kayla M Bridges, Joseph C. Gigliotti, Stephanie Altman, Jacek Jaczynski, et al.. "Determination of Digestibility, Tissue Deposition, and Metabolism of the Omega-3 Fatty Acid Content of Krill Protein Concentrate in Growing Rats" Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry Vol. 58 Iss. 5 (2010) p. 2830 - 2837
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/joseph-gigliotti/16/