Pharming for fish oil: Camelina plants produce omega-3 fatty acids

Scientists in the UK have genetically modified the Camelina plant to produce components of fish oils beneficial for cardiovascular health. Omega-3 fatty acids such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are traditionally sourced from fish, but can also be made in our bodies from another omega-3 acid called alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), found in nuts and vegetable oil. Although the richest source of the omega-3 fatty acids is fish, they themselves get the acids from their diet of smaller fishes that have eaten algae. These algae can synthesize the EPA and DHA. To obtain the EPA and DHA for human consumption, every year around a million tonnes of oil is extracted from ground up fish.

An alternative and more sustainable source of EPA and DHA has now been created by Noemi Ruiz-Lopez, Richard Haslam and Jonathan Napier from Rothamsted Resarch in the UK in the form of genetically modified Camelina sative plants. These plants, of the Brassicaceae family and usually called ‘false flax’, are already rich in ALA but have been ‘boosted’ by inserting seven genes of marine algea and other photosynthetic marine organisms into their genome. The seeds of this modified plant can be extracted and purified and the resulting oil can contain up to 12% EPA and 14% DHA. In addition to these health-beneficial fatty acids, the researchers have developed the plants in such a way that they do not contain undesirable intermediate (shorter) fatty acids. These ‘green factories’ could partially replace the current need for fish oil.

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