NOVELTY - Microbial oil comprises dihomo- gamma -linolenic acid as a constituent fatty acid of the oil, where the microbial oil having weight ratio of arachidonic acid relative to dihomo- gamma -linolenic acid of less than 1/13.    USE - The microbial oil is useful in lower alcohol ester composition or free fatty acid composition for preparing foodstuffs, dietary supplements, medicines preferably antiallergic agent or an antiinflammatory agent, cosmetics or animal feed (all claimed). The medicine is useful for preventing and/or treating inflammatory disease. The inflammatory disease includes atopic dermatitis, contact dermatitis, and psoriasis.    ADVANTAGE - The microbial oil is cost-effective and has excellent stability.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are included for the following:    (1) lower alcohol ester composition comprising dihomo- gamma -linolenic acid ester, or free fatty acid composition comprising dihomo- gamma -linolenic acid, produced or obtainable by subjecting microbial oil to an ester exchange reaction or hydrolysis reaction, where the microbial oil comprising dihomo- gamma -linolenic acid, in which a weight ratio of arachidonic acid relative to dihomo- gamma -linolenic acid is less than 1/13;    (2) microbial biomass comprising microbial oil;    (3) liquid culture medium comprising the above-mentioned microbial biomass;    (4) method (M1) for producing dihomo- gamma -linolenic acid-containing microbial oil, involves adding at least two types of Delta 5 desaturase inhibitor to a liquid culture medium, and culturing microbe having a reduced or lost Delta 5 desaturation activity in the liquid culture medium to produce the dihomo- gamma -linolenic acid containing microbial oil;    (5) method (M2) for producing lower alcohol ester composition or free fatty acid composition from microbial oil, involves (a) obtaining a mixture of free fatty acids or lower alcohol esters of fatty acids by hydrolysis or alcoholysis of the microbial oil, and (b) rectifying the mixture of free fatty acids or lower alcohol esters to obtain a free fatty acid or lower alcohol ester composition, where the composition comprises 20C fatty acids;    (6) method (M3) for producing lower alcohol dihomo- gamma -linolenic acid ester or free dihomo- gamma -linolenic acid, involves producing a lower alcohol ester composition or free fatty acid composition, and performing fractionation and purification of lower alcohol ester of dihomo- gamma -linolenic acid or of dihomo- gamma -linolenic acid, by reverse phase distribution type column chromatography; and    (7) method (M4) for producing lower alcohol ester composition or free fatty acid composition comprising dihomo- gamma -linolenic acid, involves (a) producing a dihomo- gamma -linolenic acid-containing microbial oil by culturing a microbe in a liquid culture medium to produce the dihomo- gamma -linolenic acid, optionally in the presence of one, two or more types of Delta 5 desaturase inhibitor in the liquid culture medium, to produce microbial oil, (b) by hydrolysis or alcoholysis of the microbial oil, obtaining a mixture of free fatty acids or lower alcohol esters containing dihomo- gamma -linolenic acid, optionally after purification of the oil, and (c) purifying the mixture of free fatty acids or lower alcohol esters.