Isolation of fatty acid from marine sponges, Theonella sp.

Abstract

This study is about the isolation of fatty acids from marine sponges, Theonella sp .. Sampling was done at Bidong Island and the sponge samples undergoes some procedures until fatty acid methyl ester gained. The hexane extract contained the highest concentration of fatty acids that consist saturated fatty acid (SAF As) as the dominant fatty acid. Palmitic acid (C16:0) and stearic acid (C18:0) became the highest concentration from all sample. Only hexane extract has monounsaturated fatty acids (MUF As) while the other extracts only has saturated fatty acids (SAF As) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). One-step method is the better way in obtaining fatty acid methyl ester in the sample. Theonella sp. is a sponge that obtained many fatty acids that can be useful for many purposes by futher study.