This book summarizes recent advances in understanding the functions of plant and algal lipids in photosynthesis, in development and signaling, and in industrial applications. As readers will discover, biochemistry, enzymology and analytical chemistry, as well as gene knock-out studies have all contributed to our rapidly increasing understanding of the functions of lipids. In the past few decades, distinct physical and biochemical properties of specific lipid classes were revealed in plant and algal lipids and the functional aspects of lipids in modulating critical biological processes have been uncovered. These chapters from international authors across relevant research fields highlight the underlying evolutionary context of lipid function in photosynthetic unicellular and multicellular organisms. The book goes on to encompass what lipids can do for industrial applications at a time of fascination with plants and algae in carbon fixation and as sources for production of food, energy and novel chemicals. The developmental context is a part of the fresh and engaging perspective that is presented in this work which graduate students and scientists will find both illuminating and useful.

A collection of papers that comprehensively describe the major areas of research on lipid metabolism of plants. State-of-the-art knowledge about research on fatty acid and glycerolipid biosynthesis, isoprenoid metabolism, membrane structure and organization, lipid oxidation and degradation, lipids as intracellular and extracellular messengers, lipids and environment, oil seeds and gene technology is reviewed. The different topics covered show that modern tools of plant cellular and molecular biology, as well as molecular genetics, have been recently used to characterize several key enzymes of plant lipid metabolism (in particular, desaturases, thioesterases, fatty acid synthetase) and to isolate corresponding cDNAs and genomic clones, allowing the use of genetic engineering methods to modify the composition of membranes or storage lipids. These findings open fascinating perspectives, both for establishing the roles of lipids in membrane function and intracellular signalling and for adapting the composition of seed oil to the industrial needs. This book will be a good reference source for research scientists, advanced students and industrialists wishing to follow the considerable progress made in recent years on plant lipid metabolism and to envision the new opportunities offered by genetic engineering for the development of novel oil seeds.

Algae have a long history of use as foods and for the production of food ingredients. There is also increasing interest in their exploitation as sources of bioactive compounds for use in functional foods and nutraceuticals. Functional ingredients from algae for foods and nutraceuticals reviews key topics in these areas, encompassing both macroalgae (seaweeds) and microalgae.After a chapter introducing the concept of algae as a source of biologically active ingredients for the formulation of functional foods and nutraceuticals, part one explores the structure and occurrence of the major algal components. Chapters discuss the chemical structures of algal polysaccharides, algal lipids, fatty acids and sterols, algal proteins, phlorotannins, and pigments and minor compounds. Part two highlights biological properties of algae and algal components and includes chapters on the antioxidant properties of algal components, anticancer agents derived from marine algae, anti-obesity and anti-diabetic activities of algae, and algae and cardiovascular health. Chapters in part three focus on the extraction of compounds and fractions from algae and cover conventional and alternative technologies for the production of algal polysaccharides. Further chapters discuss enzymatic extraction, subcritical water extraction and supercritical CO2 extraction of bioactives from algae, and ultrasonic- and microwave-assisted extraction and modification of algal components. Finally, chapters in part four explore applications of algae and algal components in foods, functional foods and nutraceuticals including the design of healthier foods and beverages containing whole algae, prebiotic properties of algae and algae-supplemented products, algal hydrocolloids for the production and delivery of probiotic bacteria, and cosmeceuticals from algae.Functional ingredients from algae for foods and nutraceuticals is a comprehensive resource for chemists, chemical engineers and medical researchers with an interest in algae and those in the algaculture, food and nutraceutical industries interested in the commercialisation of products made from algae. - Provides an overview of the major compounds in algae, considering both macroalgae (seaweeds) and microalgae - Discusses methods for the extraction of bioactives from algae - Describes the use of algae and products derived from them in the food and nutraceutical industries

Lipids in Photosynthesis provides readers with a comprehensive view of the structure, function and genetics of lipids in plants, algae and bacteria, with special emphasis on the photosynthetic apparatus in thylakoid membranes. This volume includes the historical background of the field, as well as a full review of our current understanding of the structure and molecular organization of lipids and their role in the functions of photosynthetic membranes. The physical properties of membrane lipids in thylakoid membranes and their relationship to photosynthesis are also discussed. Other topics include the biosynthesis of glycerolipids and triglycerides; reconstitution of photosynthetic structures and activities with lipids; lipid-protein interactions in the import of proteins into chloroplasts; the development of thylakoid membranes as it relates to lipids; genetic engineering of the unsaturation of membrane glycerolipids, with a focus on the ability of the photosynthetic machinery to tolerate temperature stress; and the involvement of chloroplast lipids in the reactions of plants upon exposure to stress. This book is intended for a wide audience and should be of interest to advanced undergraduate and graduate students and to researchers active in the field, as well as to those scientists whose fields of specialization include the biochemistry, physiology, molecular biology, biophysics and biotechnology of membranes.

Primary productivity in the sea accounts for ~30% of the total global annual production. Holistic understanding of the factors determining marine productivity requires detailed knowl edge of algal physiology and of hydrodynamics. Traditionally studies of aquatic primary productivity have heen conducted hy workers in two major schools: experimental laboratory biology, and empirical field ecology. Here an attempt was made .to hring together people from both schools to share information and con cepts; each author was charged with reviewing his field of exoer tise. The scope of the Symposium is broad, which we feel is its strength. We gratefully acknowledge financial support from the Depart ment of Energy, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, including the NMFS Northeast Fisheries Center and the MESA New York Bight Project. Thanks are due to Mrs. Margaret Dienes, with out whose editorial skills this volume could not have been pro duced, and to Mrs. Helen Kondratuk as Symposium Coordinator. Finally, we wish to record our indebtedness to Dr. Alexander Hollaender for his tireless efforts and valuable advice in sup porting all aspects of this Symposium.

Concise chapters, written by experts in the field, cover a wide spectrum of topics on lipid and membrane formation in microbes (Archaea, Bacteria, eukaryotic microbes).All cells are delimited by a lipid membrane, which provides a crucial boundary in any known form of life. Readers will discover significant chapters on microbial lipid-carrying biomolecules and lipid/membrane-associated structures and processes.