Update on GM canola crops as novel sources of omega-3 fish oils

Abstract

There is considerable interest in new sources of omega‐3 long‐chain (here defined as fatty acids ≥C20) polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC‐PUFA), specifically eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5n‐3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n‐3), commonly known as omega‐3 fish oils, to supplement the limited supplies of oceanic fish oil (Tocher, 2015). These alternative sources include extraction of other diverse marine organisms (e.g. krill, plankton etc.), algal fermentation, and the genetic engineering of microbes such as yeasts. Another approach is the synthesis of omega‐3 fish oils in transgenic plants (reviewed in Napier et al., 2015), and this short article will discuss the recent results obtained by two major industry collaborations.