Abstract

This study was performed to evaluate the stability of the fatty acid (FA) composition of blubber from Baltic grey seals Halichoerus grypus archived at -25 degrees C in the Swedish Environmental Specimen Bank (SESB). Possible alterations of FA compositions with storage time and temperature were evaluated. Blubber from 5 seals was kept at +2 degrees C and at -20 degrees C and sampled for up to 6 mo and 33 mo, respectively. Furthermore, FA profile stability was evaluated in blubber stored in the SESB for 4 and 6 yr. This was done by re-sampling and re-analyzing blubber samples from SESB. In both parts of the study, a principal component analysis was performed on 48 FAs comprising 98 to 99% of the total FAs in blubber of Baltic grey seals. We found no indication of a critically altered FA composition, neither in blubber stored at +2 degrees C for 6 mo nor in blubber stored at -20 degrees C for 33 mo. The re-analysis of samples stored in SESB for similar to 4 to 6 yr only differed for a few FAs in some samples. The most remarkable differences were a slight increase in some long-chain unsaturated FAs (18:2n-6, 20:3n-3, 20:4n-3, 22:4n-3). As an increase in long-chain polyunsaturated FAs due to storage is highly unlikely, we believe that this is probably more due to the sampling technique than to a critically altered FA composition due to storage. Our results suggest that archived seal blubber may be safely used in retrospective analyses of diet using an FA signature analysis technique.

Keywords

Fatty acid composition; Long-term storage; Blubber; Grey seal; Baltic Sea

Published in

Marine Ecology Progress Series
2012, Volume: 461, pages: 283-291
Publisher: INTER-RESEARCH

SLU Authors

• Lundström, Karl

  • Department of Aquatic Resources (SLU Aqua), Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Associated SLU-program

Coastal and sea areas


Sustainable Development Goals

SDG14 Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development


UKÄ Subject classification

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Ecology


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps09769

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/43208