title: Do cyanobacterial lipids contain fatty acids longer than 18 carbon atoms?
abstract: Fatty acids of twelve species of cyanobacteria grown under different photoautotrophic conditions were studied and their composition was compared with literature data of many other species. We have come to the conclusion that the lipids of cyanobacteria do not contain fatty acids with a chain longer than 18 carbon atoms. In our opinion, omission of an analytical procedure, i.e. purification of fatty acid methyl esters before gas chromatography, leads to incorrect interpretation of the results. Absence or presence of fatty acids was suggested as a useful taxonomic marker and a proper diagnostic indicator in the commercial application of cyanobacterial biomass.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Plant Physiology and Genetics, Department Experimental Algology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, G. Bonchev str., bl. 21, 1113-Sofia, Bulgaria.
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Iliev
authors.forename: Georgi
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Petkov
authors.forename: Jaromir
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lukavsky
authors.forename: Sevdalina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Furnadzhiev
authors.forename: Rayna
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Andreeva
mesh_terms: D018533:Biomass; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D000458:Cyanobacteria / Q000737:chemistry*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D008055:Lipids / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D008055:Lipids