Emeritus Professor, Faculty of Applied Biological Science, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 739-8528, and Faculty of Engineering, Fukuyama University, Fukuyama, Hiroshima 729-0292, Japan
At the beginning of the new century, it is very important to review studies on marine biogenic lipids conducted in the last century. Initially, studies on marine lipids concentrated on finding new lipids and their structures; there were few biochemical studies on fish and other aquatic organisms in the field of lipid metabolism until the later stage. Advanced methods such as gas-liquid chromatography for fatty acid analysis and radioisotope tracer technique have permitted such studies on aquatic organisms.
In order to investigate lipid metabolism in aquatic life, the authors studied the biogenesis of highly unsaturated fatty acids, especially eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids, and the conversion to eicosanoids in fish. The metabolism of other marine lipid classes, such as squalene, glyceryl ethers and wax esters in oceanic world was also studied.