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Improving Fatty Acid Composition of Lipids Synthesized by Brachionus plicatilis in Large Scale Experiments

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society

Abstract

Nannochloropsis oculata and Chlorella sp. were cultivated in industrial scale bioreactors 300 L, under full sunlight and artificial light during night-time at various temperatures. The most abundant fatty acids were C18:3n-3 and C16:0 in Chlorella sp., whereas in N. oculata C16:0, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and C16:1n-9 were predominant. Brachionus plicatilis cultivated in 2,500-L tanks on N. oculata, Chlorella sp. and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, was able to de novo synthesize as well as to elongate and desaturate pre-existing fatty acids in the feed. When fed with S. cerevisiae, B. plicatilis synthesized lipids containing EPA and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), despite the fact that these fatty acids were absent in yeast lipids. Brachionus fed with Nannochloropsis synthesized DHA in non-negligible quantities. Brachionus enriched with various commercial preparations incorporated into its lipids substrate fatty acids but also synthesized new fatty acids such as C16:1n-9, C18:1n-9, C18:2n-6, EPA and DHA. Neutral lipid was the main lipid fraction while phospholipids predominated over glycolipids plus sphingolipids. The major amounts of EPA and DHA were observed in neutral lipids, noteworthy quantities of these fatty acids were also incorporated into body phospholipids. Interestingly, the high n-3 fatty acids content of rotifer lipids was retained even after the rotifers were grown in low n-3 fatty acid media.

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Abbreviations

DW:

Dry weight

VVM:

Volume per volume per minute

NL:

Neutral lipids

P:

Phospholipids

G+S:

Glycolipids plus sphingolipids

PUFA:

Polyunsaturated fatty acid(s)

EPA:

Eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5n-3)

DHA:

Docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6n-3)

Palmitic acid:

C16:0

Palmitoleic acid:

C16:1n-9

Stearic acid:

C18:0

Oleic acid:

C18:1n-9

Linoleic acid:

C18:2n-6

α-Linolenic acid:

C18:3n-3

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Acknowledgments

Financial support was provided by the project ‘‘Research in small and large scale production of fishes of high biological and nutritional value- IXΘYASIS’’ funded by the General Secretariat for Research and Technology (Greek Ministry of Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs) and PLAGTON S.A.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unit of Microbiology, Department of Biology, University of Patras, 26500, Patras, Greece

    Maria Birkou & George Aggelis

  2. PLAGTON S.A., Griva 17, Agrinio, Greece

    Maria Birkou & Dimitris Bokas

Authors
  1. Maria Birkou
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  2. Dimitris Bokas
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  3. George Aggelis
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Correspondence to George Aggelis.

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Birkou, M., Bokas, D. & Aggelis, G. Improving Fatty Acid Composition of Lipids Synthesized by Brachionus plicatilis in Large Scale Experiments. J Am Oil Chem Soc 89, 2047–2055 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11746-012-2107-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11746-012-2107-x

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