Abstract
The effect of the carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratio of the medium and the aeration rate on the lipid content and fatty acid composition ofChlorella sorokiniana was investigated using heterotrophic, batch culture. Both parameters had a significant effect. A C/N ratio of approximately 20, was found to indicate a change from carbon to nitrogen limitation forC. sorokiniana. Cell lipid content was at a minimum at this value and increased at both higher and lower C/N values. Low C/N ratios favoured a high proportion of trienoic fatty acids at the expense of monoenoic acids. Aeration enhanced cell growth, fatty acid yield and the synthesis of unsaturated dienoic and trienoic fatty acids, but reduced cell lipid content. The results demonstrate that the fatty acid composition and lipid content of heterotrophically-grown microalgae can be favourably manipulated by varying culture conditions.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Ben-Amotz A, Tornabene TG, Thomas WH (1985) Chemical profile of selected species of microalgae with emphasis on lipids. J. Phycol. 21: 72–81.
Behrens PW, Hoeksema SD, Arnett KL, Cole MS, Heubner TA, Rutten JM, Kyle DJ (1989) Eicosapentaenoic acid from microalgae. In Demain AL, Somkuti GA, Hunter-Cevera JC, Rossmoore HW (eds), Novel Microbial Products for Medicine and Agriculture. Elsevier Science Publishers, Amsterdam, 253–259.
Cohen Z (1986) Products from microalgae. In Richmond A (ed.), CRC Handbook of Microalgae, CRC Press, Boca Raton, 421–454.
Cohen Z, Vonshak A, Boussiba S, Richmond A (1988) The effect of temperature and cell concentration on the fatty acid composition of outdoor cultures ofPorphyridium cruentum. In Stadler T, Million J, Verdus MC, Karamanos Y, Morvan H, Christiaen D (eds), Algal Biotechnology. Elsevier Applied Science, London, 421–429.
James AT, Harris RV, Hitchcock C, Wood BJB, Nichols BW (1965) Investigation of the biosynthesis and degradation of unsaturated fatty acids in higher plants and photosynthetic bacteria. Fette-Siefen Austrichmittel. 67: 393–396.
Johns MR, Tan CK, Chen F (1989) Heterotrophic microalgal production of chemicals. Proc. Eighth Australian Biotechnology Conference. Univ. of New South Wales, Sydney, 542–545.
Kates M, Baxter RM (1962) Lipid composition of mesophilic and psychrophilic yeasts (Candida species) as influenced by environmental temperature. Can. J. Biochem. Physiol. 40: 1213–1227.
Kuhl A, Lorenzen H (1964) Handling and culturing ofChlorella. In Preston DM (ed.), Methods of Cell Physiology, Academic Press, London, 1: 159–187.
Langdon CJ, Waldcock MJ (1981) The effect of algal and artificial diets on the growth and fatty acid compositionCrassostrea gigas spat. J. Mar. Biol. Ass. U.K. 61: 431–448.
Lee CW, Chang HN (1987) Kinetics of ethanol fermentations in membrane cell recycle fermentors. Biotechnol. Bioengng. 29: 1105–1112.
Lee YK, Tan HM (1988) Effect of temperature, light intensity and dilution rate on the cellular composition of red algaPorphyridium cruentum in light-limited chemostat cultures. MIRCEN J. appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 4: 231–237.
Morrison WR, Smith LM (1964) Preparation of fatty acid methyl esters and dimethylacetals from lipids with boron fluoride-methanol. J. Lipid Res. 5: 600–608.
Piorreck M, Bassch KH, Pohl P (1984) Biomass production, total protein, chlorophylls, lipids and fatty acids of freshwater green and blue-green algae under different nitrogen regimes. Phytochemistry 23: 207–216.
Pohl P, Wagner H (1972) Control of fatty acid and lipid biosynthesis inEuglena gracilis by ammonia, light and DCMU. Z. Naturforsch. 276: 53–61.
Ratledge C (1987) Lipid biotechnology: a wonderland for microbial physiologist. J. am. Oil Chem. Soc. 64: 1647–1656.
Suzuki T, Mori H, Yamane T, Shimizu S (1985). Automatic supplementation of minerals in fed-batch culture to high cell mass concentration. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 27: 192–201.
Tamura Y, Hirai A, Terano T, Takenaga M, Saitoh H, Tahara K, Yoshida S (1986) Clinical and epidemiological studies of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in Japan. Prog. Lipid Res. 25: 461–466.
Tan CK, Johns MR (1991) Fatty acid production by heterotrophicChlorella saccharophila. Hydrobiologia 215: 13–19.
Turcotte G, Kosaric N (1989) Lipid biosynthesis in oleaginous yeasts. Adv. Biochem. Eng. Biotechnol. 40: 73–92.
White A, Handler P, Smith EL, Hill RL, Lehman IR (1978) Principles of Biochemistry. McGraw-Hill, Tokyo.
Yone, Y (1978) Essential fatty acids and lipid requirements of marine fish. In Dietary Lipids in Aquaculture. Jap. Soc. Sci. Fish., Tokyo, 3–59.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Chen, F., Johns, M.R. Effect of C/N ratio and aeration on the fatty acid composition of heterotrophicChlorella sorokiniana . J Appl Phycol 3, 203–209 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00003578
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00003578