Solubilization of nutritional lipids from three coastal and estuarine primary producers using sodium taurocholate as a model surfactant to mimic typical consumer gut-fluids

Coastal and estuarine food webs receive large inputs of both autochthonous allochthonous detritus, which serves as an important dietary input for a variety detritivorous omnivorous organisms. Surfactants, aid digestion by solubilizing hydrophobic lipids, are found in the gut-fluids many fish invertebrate consumers. To develop biomimetic assay to explore how source primary production age may affect bioavailability nutritional lipids from detrital sources, we assessed capacity model surfactant, sodium taurocholate (STC), solubilize fatty acids three producers, haptophyte (Isochrysis galbana), rock-weed (Ascophyllum nodosum), marsh grass (Spartina alterniflora). Comparing solubilized constant concentration STC traditional Folch-extracted yields, relative fresh decayed material each producer. We focused on solubilization storage triacylglycerols (TAG) acid constituents all (FA). With temperature 5 °C, 28.7 mM 44 ± 12% total FA S. alterniflora about half that fraction I. galbana A. nodosum after 15 h dark unstirred. In form TAG, 53 19% pure triolein reference similar proportions (56 19%) (48 2%) but only 9 3% nodosum. Both approaches (TAG FA) thus show significant differences among these sources. Two months decay had inconsistent effects overall lipid yields substantial composition. Degradation led decreased phospholipids long-chain polyunsaturated increased break-down products (free diacylglycerols), saturated monounsaturated FA, bacterial FA. Lower reduced degradation rates be due its higher polyphenol alginate concentrations. Although mimicked one component process this study represents first step developing assess lipids.