Premium
Microbial conversion of an oil containing α‐linolenic acid to an oil containing eicosapentaenoic acid
Author(s) -
Shimizu Sakayu,
Kawashima Hiroshi,
Akimoto Kengo,
Shinmen Yoshifumi,
Yamada Hideaki
Publication year - 1989
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/bf02653286
Subject(s) - eicosapentaenoic acid , arachidonic acid , oleic acid , food science , linolenic acid , linoleic acid , palmitic acid , linseed oil , chemistry , polyunsaturated fatty acid , fatty acid , stearic acid , biochemistry , organic chemistry , enzyme
Mycelia of arachidonic acid‐producing fungi belonging to the genus Mortierella were found to convert an oil containing α‐linolenic acid to an oil containing 5,8,11,14,17‐ cis ‐eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). This conversion was observed when they were grown in a medium containing the oil, glucose and yeast extract at 28 C. On the screening of various oils, linseed oil, in which α‐linolenic acid amounts to about 60% of the total fatty acids, was found to be the most suitable for EPA production. Under the optimal culture conditions, a selected strain, Mortierella alpina 20‐17, converted 5.1% of the α‐linolenic acid in the added oil into EPA, the EPA production reaching 1.35 g/l of culture broth (41.5 mg/g dry mycelia). This value corresponded to 7.1% (by weight) of the total fatty acids in the extracted lipids. The lipid was also found to be rich in arachidonic acid (12.3%). Other major fatty acids in the lipid were palmitic acid (4.4%), stearic acid (3.2%), oleic acid (13.5%), linoleic acid (13.7%), α‐linolenic acid (38.5%) and γ‐linolenic acid (0.9%).