The fatty acid profiles of the three lipid fractions, neutral lipids (NL), free fatty acids and polar lipids (PL), from the macroalgae Palmaria palmata (wild), Alaria esculenta (cultivated) and Saccharina latissima (cultivated) were studied in light of dietary important fatty acids. Blade and stipe from the macroalgae were collected at the end of the growth season (May/June) at Frøya (Trøndelag, Norway). A total of 51 fatty acids were identified in the algae, including several fatty acids novel

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... to one or more of the algae. The NL and PL fractions of P. palmata were the most promising from a health perspective, due to a high content of eicosapentaenoic acid (10.1 ± 0.5% and 6.6 ± 0.1%, respectively) and no trans-fatty acids. In addition, these fractions had very low omega-6/omega-3 ratios (< 0.1) and can therefore be beneficial for balancing the omega-6/omega-3 ratio in the diet. The NL fraction of A. esculenta had the highest content of monounsaturated-and polyunsaturated fatty acids (20.9 ± 1.4 and 21.8 ± 1.9% of alga, respectively), as well as the highest content of the two essential fatty acids, linoleic acid (5.3 ± 0.4% of alga) and alphalinolenic acid (2.4 ± 0.2% of alga). Indices related to risk factors for coronary heart disease were most favourable in the NL fraction of S. latissima and the NL and PL fractions of A. esculenta.