Fatty acids in « Cyanidium »

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The authors have studied the fatty acid composition of the two acidophilic and thermophilic algae isolated at Campi Flegrei (Naples, Italy), provisionally called Cyanidium caldarium forma A and C. caldarium forma B, but belonging to different taxa above the rank of species. The two algae, at the same growing conditions, had a fatty acid composition which showed noticeable qualitative and quantitative variations. The most interesting datum was the presence of linolenic acid only in C. caldarium forma B and not in C. caldarium forma A. Moreover the data obtained with the present study support the previous morphological and physiological observations which indicated that C. caldarium forma B was a more evoluted alga than C. caldarium forma A. In fact, up to now, C. caldarium forma A is the only known eucariotic plant which is devoid of linolenic acid, that is of trienoic acids.