Synthesis and Biological Interest of Structured Docosahexaenoic Acid–Containing Triacylglycerols and Phospholipids

In light of rapid progress in biochemistry and modern bioengineering, there is a great interest in understanding how modifying the structure of naturally occurring lipids can be used to improve their nutritional and health properties. Structured lipids (SLs) or custom-made lipids can supply functional fatty acids because of their specific positioning in the glycerol structure. Health benefits of n-3 fatty acids such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have been widely reported. Little information is available on the potential for health benefits of the SLs molecules that are rich in DHA and have well defined structure. This review attempts to summarize our present state of knowledge of various approaches to produce structured DHA-containing triglycerides and phospholipids as well as their applications.