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High-Density pH-Auxostat Fed-Batch Culture of Schizochytrium limacinum SR21 with Acetic Acid as a Carbon Source

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Abstract

Schizochytrium limacinum SR21 is an important strain for industrial production of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which is an important omega-3 fatty acid used in the nutraceutical and food industry. However, the high cost of carbon sources has limited its further application in the market with much larger volume, such as animal feed for aquaculture, poultry, and livestock. To seek low-cost carbon source, acetic acid is tested in the present study. The effect of different factors, including initial carbon source concentration, pH, aeration rate, and nitrogen sources, on biomass, lipid, and DHA production were tested. With optimized culture conditions, the biomass concentration of 146 g/L, total fatty acids (TFAs) of 82.3 g/L, and DHA content of 23.0 g/L were achieved with a pH-auxostat fed-batch cultivation. These results suggested that acetic acid is a promising feedstock for the low-cost production of DHA.

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Funding

This work is supported by the Open Research Fund Program of Key Laboratory of Cleaner Production and Integrated Resource Utilization of China National Light Industry (CP-2018-YB8) and the Department of Ocean and Fishery of Liaoning Province, China.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Bioengineering, Dalian University of Technology, No. 2 Linggong Road, Dalian, 116024, People’s Republic of China

    Muhammad Shafiq, Liaqat Zeb, Muhammad Jawad & Zhanyou Chi

  2. Key Laboratory of Cleaner Production and Integrated Resource Utilization of China National Light Industry, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, 100048, China

    Guannan Cui

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  1. Muhammad Shafiq
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  2. Liaqat Zeb
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Correspondence to Zhanyou Chi.

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Highlights

• Acetic acid efficiently converted into omega-3 fatty acids by S. limacinum SR21

• High biomass concentration of 146 g/L and DHA production of 23.0 g/L achieved

• Acetic acid resulted in higher biomass concentration and DHA production than glucose

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Shafiq, M., Zeb, L., Cui, G. et al. High-Density pH-Auxostat Fed-Batch Culture of Schizochytrium limacinum SR21 with Acetic Acid as a Carbon Source. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 192, 1163–1175 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-020-03396-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-020-03396-6

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