Abstract

DHA–lysophospholipids are raising considerable interest because they are recognized as being relevant to promote the biological effects of the dietary fatty acid, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). With a view to meet the growing demand in DHA–lysophospholipids, several research works have investigated their production. DHA–lysophospholipid production can be carried out either by chemical synthesis or enzymatic synthesis using lipases or phospholipases.

While synthesizing DHA–lysophospholipids, a special attention must be paid on the stability of the products. In this frame, caution is needed to prevent DHA oxidation. The reaction conditions also need to be optimized in order to minimize the phenomenon of acyl migration which could lead to random proportions of unwanted products.

At last, analytical methods allowing identification and the quantification of different DHA–lysophospholipid isomers, have to be implemented in order to monitor the production.

Keywords: Acyl migration, docosahexaenoic acid, lipase, lysophospholipid, oxidation, phospholipase.