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Polyunsaturated fatty acid production by marine bacteria

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Abstract

Polyunsaturated fatty acids are important in maintaining human health. Limitations associated with current sources of ω-3 fatty acids and ω-6 fatty acids, from animal and plant sources, have led to increased interest in microbial production. Marine bacteria may provide a suitable alternative, although the isolation of production strains and the identification of operating conditions must be addressed before manufacturing processes become economically viable. Marine isolate 560 was identified as an eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) producer via GC/MS. The isolate was initially identified as Vibrio cyclitrophicus by 16S rRNA sequencing. Statistically based experimental designs were applied to the optimisation of medium components and environmental factors for the production of EPA. A Plackett–Burman design was used to screen for the effect of temperature, pH, and media components. Subsequently, the concentrations of NaCl, yeast extract, and peptone, identified as significant factors, were optimised using a central composite design. The predicted optimal combination of media components for maximum EPA production (4.8 mg/g dry weight) was determined as 7.9 g/l peptone, 16.2 g/l NaCl, and 6.2 g/l yeast extract. On transfer of this process to bioreactor cultivation, where a range of pH and DO values were tested, the maximum amount of EPA produced increased to 7.5 mg/g dry weight and 10 % of the total fatty acid.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the support of the officers and crew of RRS James Cook W. D. K. Reid and Dr. B. Wigham for the provision of sediment samples made available for this study. In addition, authors acknowledge the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education and Faculty of Science at Mansoura University for funding the research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK

    Ahmed Abd Elrazak & Jarka Glassey

  2. Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt

    Ahmed Abd Elrazak

  3. School of Biology, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK

    Alan C. Ward

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  1. Ahmed Abd Elrazak
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  2. Alan C. Ward
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  3. Jarka Glassey
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Correspondence to Jarka Glassey.

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Abd Elrazak, A., Ward, A.C. & Glassey, J. Polyunsaturated fatty acid production by marine bacteria. Bioprocess Biosyst Eng 36, 1641–1652 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-013-0936-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-013-0936-0

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