Phytyl esters in a marine dinoflagellate

The first naturally occurring phytyl esters from a marine alga were isolated from a dinoflagellate,Peridinium foliaceum (Stein) Biecheler, cultured photosynthetically and harvested at stationary phase of growth. At this stage, phytyl esters were the major wax esters present, constituting 5% of the total lipid, and may be present largely in the “eyespot” structure. The fatty acids esterified to the phytol were predominantly polyunsaturated: 16∶3 n−3 (15%), 18∶5 n−3 (6%), 20∶5 n−3 (36%), and 22∶6 n−3 (17%).