Lipid composition of a newly isolated polyunsaturated fatty acid-producingfungus, Achlya sp. ma-2801

A polyunsaturated fatty acid-producing fungus, Achlya sp. ma-2801, was newl y isolated from fresh-water samples obtained in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan and was investigated with respect to its intracellular lipids and fatty ac id composition under various cultural conditions. The eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and arachidonic acid (AA) contents reached 32.5 and 61.7 mg/g-dry ce ll weight, respectively, when grown in a medium consisting of 15 g/l glucos e as a carbon source and 7.5 g/l yeast extract as a nitrogen source at 20 d egrees C for 6 d. More than 40% of the fatty acids in phosphatidylcholine ( 78-114 mg/l) and phosphatidylethanolamine (33-39 mg/l) comprised EPA and AA when Achlya sp. ma-2801 was cultivated at 15 degrees C.