Marine Bivalves as a Dietary Source of High-Quality Lipid: A Review with Special Reference to Natural n-3 Long Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids

Abstract

The most important nutritional feature of mollusks is their lipid composition. Marine bivalves are a good source of high quality lipid, mainly because they concentrate eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. Meanwhile, these n-3 Long Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (LC-PUFAs) are essential in the fight against inflammation, preventing depression, reducing weight and waist size, decreasing liver fat and promoting mental wellbeing. Typically, marine bivalves have a low saturated fatty acid content and a high n-3 LC-PUFA concentration, which is usually absent in most foods. Freshwater bivalves generally contain lower proportions of n-3 PUFA than marine bivalves; the lipid quality also differ in farmed and wild species. The focus of this review is on physiological important n-3 LC-PUFA present in marine bivalves, with an emphasis on the indicators for assessing quality and the effects of heat on bivalve lipid.