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Use of Biodiesel-Derived Crude Glycerol for Producing Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) by the Fungus Pythium irregulare. Athalye SK, Garcia RA, Wen Z. J Agric Food Chem. 2009 Mar 6. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 19265450 DOI: 10.1021/jf803922w

Fungal treatment of a biodiesel byproduct can produce the omega-3 fatty acid EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), offering a potentially economical source of EPA from microbes.\nGrowing the fungus Pythium irregulare in a crude glycerol and a yeast extract can lead to production of an EPA-rich biomass that could be used as an omega-3 fortified food, according to researchers from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and the USDA's Agricultural Research Service.\n\nThe findings are published online ahead of print in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and largely insoluble in water. Chemically, fats are generally triesters of glycerol and fatty acids. Fats may be either solid or liquid at normal room temperature, d