Abstract
This study shows how relative fatty acid content and unsaturation index of Dunaliella salina strains can be estimated rapidly by analysis with flow cytometry and Nile Red staining. This technique is valid for analysing intraspecific variability and shows no significant distortion phenomena, such as variability in the staining of strains not associated with different fatty acid composition. These phenomena have been related to variations in the permeability of the cell membrane and cell wall to Nile Red in a number of microalgae strains and species. The saturated fatty acids/monounsaturated fatty acids/polyunsaturated fatty acids ratio was estimated indirectly from the relative polar and neutral lipid composition. High intraspecific variability was noted in the fatty acid composition of D. salina, which makes it an ideal species for conducting screening tests of new strains for oil production, using the strategic advantages associated with this species such as the possibility of mass culturing in inexpensive, open systems and high biomass processability due to its lack of cell wall.
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Acknowledgements
This study was funded by the Canary Islands Agency for Research, Innovation and the Information Society as part of the BIOAC project and by Programa de Cooperación Transnacional Azores, Madeiras y Canarias (PCT-MAC 2007-2013, FEDER). The support and assistance provided by the halophyte and extremophile algae maintenance and collection services of the Canary Islands Technological Institute were essential to this study.
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Mendoza Guzmán, H., de la Jara Valido, A., Freijanes Presmanes, K. et al. Quick estimation of intraspecific variation of fatty acid composition in Dunaliella salina using flow cytometry and Nile Red. J Appl Phycol 24, 1237–1243 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-011-9768-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-011-9768-y