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Behavior of the extremophile green alga Coccomyxa melkonianii SCCA 048 in terms of lipids production and morphology at different pH values

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Abstract

The extremophile green alga Coccomyxa melkonianii SCCA 048 was investigated to evaluate its ability to grow in culture media with different pH. Specifically, Coccomyxa melkonianii was sampled in the Rio Irvi river (Sardinia, Italy) which is severely polluted by heavy metals as a result of abandoned mining activities. In this study, the strain was cultivated in growth media where the pH was kept fixed at the values of 4.0, 6.8 and 8.0, respectively. During the investigation, a significant phenotypic plasticity of this strain was observed. The strain grew well in the pH range 4.0–8.0, while the optimal value for its growth was 6.8. Furthermore, maximum lipid contents of about 24 and 22 %wt were achieved at the end of cultivation when using pH 4.0 and 8.0, respectively. Finally, the analysis of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) highlights the presence of suitable amounts of compounds which can be profitably exploited in the food, nutraceutical, and cosmetic industry. This aspect, coupled with the possibility of cultivating Coccomyxa melkonianii under extreme pH conditions in economic open ponds, makes this strain an interesting candidate for several biotechnological applications.

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Acknowledgments

The financial support of the COMISAR project (POR FESR 2014/2020 - Asse prioritario I “ricerca scientifica, sviluppo tecnologico e innovazione” Regione Autonoma della Sardegna, Italy) is gratefully acknowledged. One of us S.S. acknowledges the financial support obtained from the University of Cagliari during her Ph.D. program in Innovation Sciences and Technologies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Interdepartmental Center of Environmental Science and Engineering (CINSA), University of Cagliari, Via San Giorgio 12, 09124, Cagliari, Italy

    Santina Soru, Veronica Malavasi & Giacomo Cao

  2. Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Via Ospedale 72, 09124, Cagliari, Italy

    Pierluigi Caboni

  3. Center for Advanced Studies, Research and Development in Sardinia (CRS4), Loc. Piscina Manna, Building 1, Pula, 09010, Cagliari, Italy

    Alessandro Concas

  4. Department of Mechanical, Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Cagliari, Via Marengo 2, 09123, Cagliari, Italy

    Giacomo Cao

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  1. Santina Soru
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  2. Veronica Malavasi
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  3. Pierluigi Caboni
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  4. Alessandro Concas
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  5. Giacomo Cao
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Correspondence to Veronica Malavasi.

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Communicated by H. Atomi.

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Soru, S., Malavasi, V., Caboni, P. et al. Behavior of the extremophile green alga Coccomyxa melkonianii SCCA 048 in terms of lipids production and morphology at different pH values. Extremophiles 23, 79–89 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00792-018-1062-3

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