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Effect of nitrogen source on the growth, lipid, and valuable carotenoid production in the green microalga Chromochloris zofingiensis

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Abstract

Chromochloris (Chlorella) zofingiensis (Dönz) Fucíková & Lewis is a carotenogenic chlorophyte producing valuable carotenoids such as astaxanthin and canthaxanthin. Due to a high culture robustness, it has a potential to become a major biotechnological source of natural carotenoid pigments in the nearest future. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the comparative assessment of the biomass, carotenoid, and lipid productivity of C. zofingiensis monoculture under the condition of the two-stage batch cultivation with acetate supplementation. The results proved the feasibility of complete replacement of sodium nitrate by urea in the nutrient medium for C. zofingiensis. Carotenoids (0.3% of dry cell weight) and their composition, as well as the cell lipids and their fatty acid profile, were not affected significantly during the cultivation on urea-containing media as compared to the cultivation on standard media containing nitrate. The carotenoid profile of C. zofingiensis was dominated by the valuable ketocarotenoids astaxanthin, canthaxanthin, and adonixanthin. Furthermore, the use of urea as the sole N source increased the gross yield of lipids by 30.6% as compared to that achieved on the nitrate-based medium. The fatty acid composition of the resulting lipids was compatible with the current European biodiesel standard. The cost efficiency of C. zofingiensis cultivation can be increased by replacing nitrate with urea.

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Funding

Financial support was provided by the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education (project 075-15-2019-1719/ RFMEFI60419X0213).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. A.O. Kovalevsky Institute of Biology of Southern Seas, Russian Academy of Sciences, Sevastopol, Russia

    Galina Minyuk

  2. Timiryazev Institute of Plant Physiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

    Roman Sidorov

  3. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia

    Alexei Solovchenko

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  1. Galina Minyuk
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  2. Roman Sidorov
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  3. Alexei Solovchenko
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Correspondence to Alexei Solovchenko.

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Minyuk, G., Sidorov, R. & Solovchenko, A. Effect of nitrogen source on the growth, lipid, and valuable carotenoid production in the green microalga Chromochloris zofingiensis. J Appl Phycol 32, 923–935 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-020-02060-0

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