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Changes in lipid class content and composition of Isochrysis sp. (T-Iso) grown in batch culture

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Abstract

For decades, the microalgae Isochrysis spp. have been widely utilised as a live feed in aquaculture practices. This species possesses a number of favourable characteristics, notably its long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (LC n-3 PUFA) content; primarily docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3). This article describes the lipid class content and composition of this microalga grown in batch culture, covering the entirety of lag, log and stationary growth phases. The total lipid was highest in the lag phase (27 pg/cell). Total lipid significantly decreased in the exponential growth (7 pg/cell), then steadily increasing for the remainder of growth. The increase in total lipid was due to the accumulation of neutral lipid in the form of triacylglycerides. The DHA content (pg/cell) of the neutral lipid remained relatively unchanged for the duration of growth, with the influx of fatty acids being primarily myristic and palmitic acids. DHA (pg/cell) was found at relatively uniform amounts across all lipid classes. However, the DHA content as a percentage differed greatly between classes. The polar lipid class had a significantly higher DHA content, which peaked at 38 % of all polar lipid in log growth. The primary PUFA species present in the glycolipid class was stearidonic acid (18:4n-3). This work gives an overview of the lipid content and composition of Isochrysis sp. (T-Iso) over the entirety of its growth under batch culture. The lipid profile for this species at different stages of culture provides a basal data set that is useful for comparative studies using this organism.

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Abbreviations

ALA:

α-linolenic acid

DHA:

Docosahexaenoic acid

EPA:

Eicosapentaenoic acid

FA:

Fatty acid

FAME:

Fatty acid methyl ester

FFA:

Free fatty acid

FID:

Flame ionisation detector

GC:

Gas chromatography

GC–MS:

Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

GL:

Glycolipid

LC n-3 PUFA:

Long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid

MAG:

Monoacylglycerol

MUFA:

Monounsaturated fatty acid

n-3:

Omega-3

NL:

Neutral lipid

PL:

Polar lipid

PUFA:

Polyunsaturated fatty acid

SDA:

Stearidonic acid

SPE:

Solid-phase extraction

TAG:

Triacylglycerol

T-Iso:

Tahitian isolate

TL:

Total lipid

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Acknowledgments

The authors express their gratitude to Nicky Roughton and Cara McGregor of the Cawthron Institute for their aid in the culturing of microalgae. We also thank the late Kathrin Stähler for her contributions in lipid analysis. This research was supported by The New Zealand Ministry of Science and Innovation under project C02X0806, ‘Engineered Marine Molecules’ and PhD scholarships from Deakin University and the University of Auckland. The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest with regard to this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Marine Products Team, The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited, 300 Wakefield Quay, Nelson, New Zealand

    Tim D. Nalder & Matthew R. Miller

  2. Centre for Chemistry and Biotechnology, Deakin University, 75 Pigdons Road, Waurn Ponds, VIC, Australia

    Tim D. Nalder

  3. Cawthron Institute, Private Bag 2, Nelson, New Zealand

    Michael A. Packer

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  1. Tim D. Nalder
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Correspondence to Tim D. Nalder.

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Nalder, T.D., Miller, M.R. & Packer, M.A. Changes in lipid class content and composition of Isochrysis sp. (T-Iso) grown in batch culture. Aquacult Int 23, 1293–1312 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10499-015-9884-9

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