Affiliation:
1. Aquatic and Crop Resource Development Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, 1411 Oxford Street, Halifax, NS B3H 3Z1, Canada
Abstract
An oleaginous microalga Micractinum inermum isolated from Mariana Lake, AB, Canada was cultured in a 1000 L photobioreactor with an f/2 medium to study its lipid content and neutral lipid profile. Algal biomass was collected at the stationary phase contained a significant amount of lipids (44.2%), as determined by Folch’s method. The lipid was fractionated into neutral lipid, glycolipid and phospholipid fractions. The neutral lipid constitutes almost 77.3% of the total lipid species and is mainly composed of triacylglycerols (TAGs) determined by a proton NMR study. UHPLC-HRMS analysis allows us for the first time to identify 81 TAGs in the neutral lipid fraction of M. inermum. The fatty acid acyl side chains were identified based on fragment ions observed in MSMS analysis. TAGs with fatty acid acyl chains 18:1/18:1/18:1, 18:1/18:1/16:0, 18:2/18:1/16:0, and 18:2/18:2/18:0 were the major ones among the identified TAGs. Fatty acid analysis further supports the fact that oleic acid was the major fatty acid present in the neutral lipid fraction of M. inermum constituting 41.7%, followed by linoleic acid at 21.5%, and palmitic acid at 21.2%. The saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids were 67.8% or higher in the lipid fraction. Long-chain fatty acids were only present in a minor quantity. The results clearly demonstrate that M. inermum is an excellent source for TAGs.
Subject
Chemistry (miscellaneous),Analytical Chemistry,Organic Chemistry,Physical and Theoretical Chemistry,Molecular Medicine,Drug Discovery,Pharmaceutical Science
Reference37 articles.
1. Microalgae as a source of bioactive molecules—Experience from cyanophyte research;Skulberg;J. Appl. Phycol.,2000
2. Astaxanthin-producing green microalga Haematococccus pluvialis: From single cell to high value commercial products;Shah;Front. Plant Sci.,2016
3. Commercial production of b-carotene by Dunaliella salina in open ponds;Borowitzka;Bull. Mar. Sci.,1990
4. Research trends in the dominating microalgal pigments, b-carotene, astaxanthin, and phycocyanin used in feed, in foods, and in health applications;Eriksen;J. Nutr. Food Sci.,2016
5. Engineering strategies and opportunities of next generation biofuel from microalgae: A perspective review on the potential bioenergy feedstock;Thanigaivel;Fuel,2022