Duckweed – a new source of polyunsaturated fatty acids? [27.11.18]
Duckweed as food ingredient can be found in some Asian countries already. Hohenheim Professor Walter Vetter participated in a current study that analyzed the nutritional value of duckweed and found a high amount of unsaturated fatty acids and other nutrients in this plant. Given its fast growth, the researchers confirm the high potential of duckweed as food component and/ or nutritional supplement for a healthy diet. (Appenroth et al.)
Original publication
Appenroth, Klaus J.; Sowjanya Sree, K.; Bog, Manuela; Ecker, Josef; Seeliger, Claudine; Böhm, Volker et al. (2018): Nutritional value of the duckweed species of the Genus Wolffia (Lemnaceae) as human food. In: Frontiers in Chemistry 6 (OCT). DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2018.00483.
Author information:
Matthias Schleiden Institute, Plant Physiology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
Department of Environmental Science, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod, India
Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
Chair of Nutrition Physiology, Technical University Munich, Freising, Germany
Institute of Nutritional Sciences, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
Competence Cluster for Nutrition and Cardiovascular Health (nutriCARD) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Jena, Germany
Institute of Food Chemistry, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
Thuringian State Institute of Agriculture, Jena, Germany
Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
Abstract
Species of the genus Wolffia are traditionally used as human food in some of the Asian countries. Therefore, all 11 species of this genus, identified by molecular barcoding, were investigated for ingredients relevant to human nutrition. The total protein content varied between 20 and 30% of the freeze-dry weight, the starch content between 10 and 20%, the fat content between 1 and 5%, and the fiber content was ~25%. The essential amino acid content was higher or close to the requirements of preschool-aged children according to standards of the World Health Organization. The fat content was low, but the fraction of polyunsaturated fatty acids was above 60% of total fat and the content of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids was higher than that of n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids in most species. The content of macro- and microelements (minerals) not only depended on the cultivation conditions but also on the genetic background of the species. This holds true also for the content of tocopherols, several carotenoids and phytosterols in different species and even intraspecific, clonal differences were detected in Wolffia globosa and Wolffia arrhiza. Thus, the selection of suitable clones for further applications is important. Due to the very fast growth and the highest yield in most of the nutrients, Wolffia microscopica has a high potential for practical applications in human nutrition. © 2018 Appenroth, Sree, Bog, Ecker, Seeliger, Böhm, Lorkowski, Sommer, Vetter, Tolzin-Banasch, Kirmse, Leiterer, Dawczynski, Liebisch and Jahreis.
