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The production potential of eicosapentaenoic and arachidonic acids by the red alga Porphyridium cruentum
Author(s) -
Cohen Zvi
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
journal of the american oil chemists' society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.512
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1558-9331
pISSN - 0003-021X
DOI - 10.1007/bf02541847
Subject(s) - arachidonic acid , eicosapentaenoic acid , food science , chemistry , polyunsaturated fatty acid , fatty acid , dry weight , strain (injury) , nitrogen , biochemistry , biology , botany , organic chemistry , enzyme , anatomy
The red microalga Porphyridium cruentum is a new source for eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and arachidonic acid (AA) fatty acids of potential pharmaceutical value. The conditions leading to a high content of either fatty acid were investigated. The highest EPA content was obtained under conditions resulting in high growth rate (2.4% of ash free dry weight in Strain 1380‐1d). High AA content was obtained under slow growth conditions and was maximal in th stationary phase or under nitrogen starvation (2.9%). Strain 1380‐la had the highest content (1.9%) of arachidonic acid under exponential growth conditions. By imposing nitrogen starvation, it was possible to obtain a lipid mixture which may be separated into AA and EPA rich fractions.