Mass Production of Lemna minor and Its Amino Acid and Fatty Acid Profiles

Abstract

The surface floating duckweed Lemna minor (Lemnaceae) is a potential ingredient to replace the application of fish-meal in the aqua-feed. The culture technique of the duckweed was standardized in outdoor tanks and then applied in the pond. Three consecutive experiments were conducted in tanks (1.2 × 0.35 × 0.3 m). In experiment 1, four different manures were used. In manure 1 (organic manure, OM) and manure 3 (2x OM), cattle manure, poultry droppings, and mustard oil cake (1:1:1) were used; in manure 2 (inorganic fertilizer, IF), urea, potash, triple superphosphate were used; manure 4 (2x OM+IF) was a combination of manure 2 and manure 3. In experiment 2, manure 1 (OM) and manure 2 (IF) were used, and manure 3 (OM+IF) was a combination of both manures. In experiment 3, OM and IF were selected. In pond (20 × 10 × 0.5 m), OM was applied. Fresh duckweed was seeded after 5 days of manure application. In experiments 1 and 3, total production was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in OM compared to other treatments. In experiment 2, there was no significant (P > 0.05) difference in production between OM and IF. In pond, relative growth rate (RGR) of duckweed ranged from 0.422 to 0.073 g/g/day and total production was 702.5 Kg/ha/month (dry weight). Protein, lipid, and ash contents were higher in duckweed cultured in OM compared to IF. The duckweed was a rich source of essential (39.20%), non-essential (53.64%), and non-proteinogenic (7.13%) amino acids. Among essential amino acids, leucine, isoleucine, and valine constituted 48.67%. Glutamic acid was 25.87% of total non-essential amino acids. Citrulline, hydroxiproline, taurine, etc. were found in the duckweed. The fatty acid composition was dominated by PUFA, 60–63% of total fatty acids, largely α-linolenic acid (LNA, 18:3n-3) at around 41 to 47% and linoleic acid (LA, 18:2n-6) at 17–18%. The nutritional value of duckweeds and their production potential in the pond conditions were evaluated. Duckweed biomass may thus be used to replace commercial fish-meal that is currently used in aquaculture.

Production potential of greater duckweed Spirodela polyrhiza (L. Schleiden) and its biochemical composition evaluation

“…The presence of glutamic acid and glutamine confirmed the role of greater duckweed in reducing nitrogenous materials in the water. Similar amino acids composition was found in L. minor (Chakrabarti et al, 2018). The nutritional value of duckweed is comparable with alfalfa, being a rich source of lysine and arginine (Guha, 1997).…”

“…polyrhiza (Chakrabarti et al, 2018). The initial amount of duckweed introduced for culture also influenced production.…”

“…In the present study, the lipid and PUFA contents were higher in S. polyrhiza compared to Wolffia spp. In L. minor, 60 -63% of total fatty acid was PUFA; around 41-43% α-linolenic acid and 17-18% linoleic acid (Chakrabarti et al, 2018).…”

Short Communication: Diversity of duckweed (Araceae-Lemnoideae), morphological characteristics and its potentials as food sources for herbivorous fishes in West Java, Indonesia

“…Not only in the species found in this study, the amino acid content of L. minor also show the same results. The results of Chakrabarti et al (2018) study indicates that L. minor has essential amino acids (39.20%), non-essential (53.64%), and non-proteinogenic (7.13%). All essential amino acids such as histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine are found in adequate quantity.…”

Improvement of the Water Quality in Rainbow Trout Farming by Means of the Feeding Type and Management over 10 Years (2009–2019)

“…Furthermore, the receiving water body has benefitted from these modified techniques, in particular the outlet basin, which was populated by floating macrophyte duckweed (Lemna spp.) that are known to be suitable for wastewater treatment and for food for pigs and poultry [30][31][32]. The duckweed filters nutrients, with a reduction of the eutrophic load of the water; it is an excellent purifying plant and absorbs the nitrogen in the water by eliminating nitrates [30,31].…”