Calm down, Lou, hehe
While it has other ingredients, Selcon's first and foremost claim to fame is its Omega-3 content.
Omega-3's are a group of special polyunsaturated fatty acids that science strongly suggests are essential to many animal metabolisms. Thus from a nutritional point of view they are also called
"Essential Fatty Acids" or
EFA
Given their molecular structure, from a chemical point of view they are also tagged
"Highly Unsaturated Fatty Acid" (
HUFA) and/or "Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid" (
PUFA).
The three EFA's that are most often mentioned are
1)ALA - alpha-linolenic acid
2)EPA - eicosapentaenoic acid
3)DHA - docosahexanoic acid
DHA in particular is heavily involved in the function and development of the nervous system. EPA seems to impact circulatory health. Both can be derived from ALA, and all ultimately find origin mostly in marine phytoplankton: so there's likely quite a bit of the stuff being manufactured in a biodiverse reeftank.
Since the stuff breaks down rapidly, it is believed that processed fishfoods (flakes, etc.) are impoverished of these EFA's. So, Selcon decided to bottle the stuff so you could soak the food in it and thus ensure your livestock get proper nutrition.
The relationship between the various unsaturates and derivatives, and their effect on metabolisms, is complex and not fully understood. You can confirm both the complexity and confusion by searching the web for the keywords mentioned above, hehe.
Again: Selcon is a food additive that seeks to supply Essential Fatty Acids that are thought to be deficient in many prepared foods for aquarium fish.
HTH
horge
Emperor Of The unKnown Universe
[This message has been edited by horge (edited 01-15-2001).]
