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Effects of light intensity, light quality, and illumination period on cell growth, TFA accumulation, and DHA production in Crypthecodinium sp. SUN

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Abstract

Crypthecodinium strains are ideal candidates for DHA production. In a previous study, light was found to be efficient in inducing total fatty acid accumulation in Crypthecodinium sp. SUN. In order to further analyze the light-inducing behavior of this microalga, experiments were conducted to elucidate the influence of different light intensities, light qualities, and illumination periods on DHA production. The results showed that an irradiance of 30 μmol photons m−2 s−1 was most suitable for DHA production. Compared to red light and blue light, green light was more efficient in elevating the total fatty acid content in the cells. It was also found that illumination at the first 24 h promoted cell growth, whereas it favored total fatty acid accumulation only during 48–96 h. This is the first systematic investigation of the influence of light on total fatty acid accumulation and DHA production in Crypthecodinium sp. SUN, providing a solid foundation for further research on DHA production.

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Funding

This work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Project No.: 31471717) and partly supported by Public Science and Technology Research Funds Projects of Ocean (Project No.: 201505032).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Food and Bioresource Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China

    Dongzhe Sun, Zhao Zhang & Feng Chen

  2. BIC-ESAT, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China

    Dongzhe Sun, Zhao Zhang & Feng Chen

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  1. Dongzhe Sun
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  2. Zhao Zhang
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  3. Feng Chen
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Correspondence to Feng Chen.

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Sun, D., Zhang, Z. & Chen, F. Effects of light intensity, light quality, and illumination period on cell growth, TFA accumulation, and DHA production in Crypthecodinium sp. SUN. J Appl Phycol 30, 1495–1502 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-017-1379-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-017-1379-9

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