Preface

This volume of *Nutrients* includes twelve independent contributions that focus on – Recent advances in Omega-3: health benefits, sources, products and bioavailability. As a group of molecules, the omega-3 long-chain (≥C20) polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA, also termed LC omega-3), are required for or essential for optimal human and animal health, yet modern western and other diets are often lacking in these key ingredients.

The papers in this volume were presented at the joint meeting of the Australasian Section of the American Oil Chemists Society and the Omega-3 Centre held November 7, 2013 in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. A full summary of all oral papers and posters presented at this meeting is available elsewhere [1]. The volume is provided in four sections: 1. A summary paper of the Newcastle meeting and brief summaries of the papers in this volume, 2. Health benefits and bioavailability, four papers; 3. Sources of long-chain omega-3 oils, five papers; 4. Products containing long-chain omega-3 oils, two papers. Three papers in the volume provide reviews of: 1. The Omega-3 Index (O3I), a recently developed measure of red blood cell EPA+DHA; 2. The role of LC omega-3 oils in child cognition; 3. New land plant sources of DHA as a timely solution to the issue of fish oil sustainability.

We anticipate that this selection of papers will provide readers with useful updates on this range of specific and cutting edge research on aspects of the long-chain omega-3. We very much appreciate the time and effort put forth by the authors of these manuscripts, by those who reviewed the manuscripts prior to initial publication in the journal *Nutrients*, by the sterling editorial staff at MDPI and by the Editors in Chief - Prof. Peter Howe and Jon Buckley - and in addition Kevin Krail, Executive Director Omega-3 Centre, who have all made this volume possible.

Peter D. Nichols and Matthew R. Miller *Guest Editors* 

#### **References**

1. Murphy, K.; Howe, P. Proceedings of the 2013 meeting of the Australasian Section of the American Oils Chemists Society (AOCS). *Nutrients* **2013**, *5*, 5065–5096.
