Variation in the fatty acid profile of Staphylococcus aureus WRRC B124 grown at varying temperatures was determined. The range of incubation temperatures tested induced both qualitative and quantitative differences in S. aureus fatty acid profile. While branched chained saturated fatty acids were the predominate species at 37C, C18:1 and C16:1 monounsaturated fatty acids were predominant at lower temperatures (12 and 19C). Iso‐branched C14:0, C16:0 and C18:0 saturated fatty acids were expressed exclusively at 37C and several C17:0 and C20:0 fatty acids were suppressed at 12C. Results demonstrated that S. aureus had altered fatty acid profile in response to changes in growth temperatur