Rapid quantitation of feed rotifer ( <i>Brachionus plicatilis</i> ) fatty acids by Raman spectroscopy

Improving the lipid composition of feed-rotifers enhances survival and growth rates juvenile fish in aquaculture, but monitoring enrichment profiles using gas chromatography (GC) is slow, labour-intensive requires expensive instrumentation. Here, we describe potential Raman spectroscopy as an alternative, more rapid tool for quantitation rotifer fatty acid aquaculture setting. A compositionally diverse sample set was prepared by periodically subsampling rotifers undergoing three different feeding regimens. Sampled were freeze-dried their content measured GC–MS (mass spectrometry). spectra (1064 nm excitation) acquired with two instruments: a state-of-the-art Fourier transform (FT)-Raman spectrometer equipped liquid nitrogen-cooled Germanium detector; smaller, portable InGaAs detector. Fatty reference data related to structured variance each spectral partial least squares regression. The resultant models could accurately quantitate total acids (TFA) polyunsaturated (PUFA) both FT-Raman (Root Mean Square Error [RMSEV] = 5.0 mg g−1 TFA 6.1 PUFA) generated instrument (RMSEV 4.2 5.3 PUFA). Analysis times approximately 3 min, compared 16 min system. Portable may be useful high throughput screening when testing optimizing protocols developing microdiets species.