Phaeodactylum tricornutum microalgae as a rich source of omega-3 oil: Progress in lipid induction techniques towards industry adoption.
Diatoms are a major group of high omega 3-fatty acid producing algae that play a key role in global climate change and ecosystem function. Phaeodactylum tricornutum is one of only two diatoms whose genomes have been completely sequenced, leading to metabolic engineering of high eicosapentaenoic acid producing strains. Based on its rapid growth, high lipid content, and especially omega-3 long chain unsaturated fatty acids, P. tricornutum exhibits a large commercial potential. However, until now, it is predominately produced as feed for the aquaculture industry, rather than food supplement. This review compares the change of P. tricornutum lipid composition under different treatments, and identifies suitable lipid induction, cultivation and harvesting methods for industry adoption. If produced in a biorefinery setting, P. tricornutum has strong potential for value generation from human health products (omega-3-rich oil and high-value protein) with cost estimates of AU$6.14 per kg dry weight and AU$20.47 for omega-3-rich oil.
['Cui|Yi|Y|', 'Thomas-Hall|Skye R|SR|', 'Schenk|Peer M|PM|']
D002245:Carbon Dioxide D017377:Diatoms D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 D019649:Food Industry D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration D008055:Lipids
Phaeodactylum tricornutum Microalgae Omega-3 Lipid induction Eicosapentaenoic acid Biorefinery Carbon Dioxide (PubChem CID: 280) Chitosan (Compound CID: 71853) Docosahexaenoic Acid (PubChem CID: 445580) Glucose (Compound CID: 5793) Glycerol (PubChem CID: 753) Nitrate (PubChem CID: 943) Phosphate (PubChem CID: 1061) Sodium Chloride (PubChem CID: 5234) Urea (PubChem CID: 1176) eicosapentaenoic acid (PubChem CID: 446284)