Effect of culture temperature on fatty acid composition of diatom Cylindrotheca closterium

ALMEYDA, DELFINA; SCODELARO BILBAO, PAOLA GABRIELA; CONSTENLA, DIANA; POPOVICH, CECILIA; LEONARDI, PATRICIA INÉS

Paraná, Entre Ríos

Congreso; 54th Annual Meeting Argentine Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; 2018

Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (SAIB)

Fish oil is widely used as a source of essential long chain poly-unsaturated omega-3 fatty acids, such eicosapentaenoic (EPA) anddocosahexaenoic (DHA), for aquaculture. However, there is increasing interest in reducing the aquaculture industry?s dependence on thisresource due to its unsustainability and variable cost and supply. Marine microalgae naturally produce EPA and DHA fatty acids and theircontent can be modified by manipulation of the growth conditions. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of culture temperature on fattyacid composition of the marine diatom Cylindrotheca closterium. To this end, C. closterium was grown in a photobioreactor: a) at 20 °C(control) and b) lowering the temperature from 20°C to 11°C in the stationary growth phase. Total lipid content and lipid fractions weredetermined spectrophotometrically and gravimetrically. Gas chromatography was performed to analyze fatty acid composition. C. closteriumgrowth was not affected by temperature variation, as showed by cell density and dry weight determinations. When the temperature was lowered,triacylglyceride content significantly increased compared to the control condition. In addition, among omega-3 fatty acids, DHA and EPAshowed a marked increase. Thus, these results evidence the potential of this strain as an alternative and sustainable source for aquaculturepurposes.