Characteristics of fatty acids from the red alga Kappaphycus alvarezii (Doty) Doty (Rhodophyta, Solieriaceae)

Kappaphycus alvarezii is a red alga belonging to family Solieriaceae, and one of the most important carrageenan sources for food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. The fatty acid compounds of the Solieriaceae families provide interesting information on the presence of unusual fatty acids. A study was conducted to elucidate the characteristics of the fatty acid composition of red algae K. alvarezii using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). K. alvarezii contained significant amounts of cyclic and monoenoic fatty acids, such as 11-cyclopentylundecanoic acid (12.9 % of total fatty acids), 13-cyclopentyltridecanoic acid (5.1 %), 11-hexadecenoic acid (18.9 %), and 13-octadecenoic acid (1.5 %). The red algae also contained in relatively high amounts of polyenoic fatty acids, arachidonic (6.58 %) and eicosapentaenoic acids (4.76 %). The two cyclic and monoenoic fatty acids, which are high contents in K. alvarezii appear to be typical fatty acids in the Solieriaceae families, which can be the chemical characteristic potential of the Solieriaceae.