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Effects of temperature, salinity, light intensity, and pH on the eicosapentaenoic acid production of Pinguiococcus pyrenoidosus

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Abstract

The effects of temperature, light intensity, salinity, and initial pH on the growth and fatty acid composition of Pinguiococcus pyrenoidosus 2078 were studied for eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) production potential. The fatty acid composition was assayed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, which indicated that the main fatty acids were C14:0, C16:0 and EPA. The highest EPA percentage 20.83% of total fatty acids was obtained at 20°C with the temperature being set at 20, 24, and 28°C. Under different salinities and light intensities, the highest percentages of total polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and EPA were 17.82% and 31.37% of total fatty acids, respectively, which were achieved at salinity 30 and 100 μmol photon m−2s−1 illumination. The highest percentages of total PUFAs and EPA were 38.75% and 23.13% of total fatty acids, respectively, which were reached at an initial pH of 6 with the test range being from 5.0 to 9.0.

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Abbreviations

PUFAs:

polyunsaturated fatty acids

EPA:

eicosapentaenoic acid

DHA:

docosahexaenoic acid

MUFAs:

monounsaturated fatty acids

SFAs:

saturated fatty acids

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Hydrobiology, Ji’ nan University, Guangzhou, 510632, P. R. China

    Min Sang, Ming Wang, Chengwu Zhang & Aifen Li

  2. Engineering Research Center of Tropical and Subtropical Aquatic Ecological Engineering, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, 510632, P. R. China

    Min Sang, Ming Wang, Chengwu Zhang & Aifen Li

  3. Department of Life Science, Hengyang Normal University, Hengyang, 421008, P. R. China

    Jianhui Liu

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  1. Min Sang
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  2. Ming Wang
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  4. Chengwu Zhang
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  5. Aifen Li
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Correspondence to Chengwu Zhang or Aifen Li.

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Sang, M., Wang, M., Liu, J. et al. Effects of temperature, salinity, light intensity, and pH on the eicosapentaenoic acid production of Pinguiococcus pyrenoidosus . J. Ocean Univ. China 11, 181–186 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-012-1868-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-012-1868-z

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