Media Screening for Obtaining Haematococcus pluvialis Red Motile Macrozooids Rich in Astaxanthin and Fatty Acids

Abstract

Astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis is commercially produced in a two-stage process, involving green vegetative (macrozooid) and red aplanospore stages. This approach has been scaled up to an industrial process but constraints limit its commercial success and profitability, including: contamination issues, high pigment extraction costs, requirements for high light levels and photo-bleaching in the red stage. However, in addition to the aplanospore stage, this alga can produce astaxanthin in vegetative palmelloid and motile macrozooid cells. In this study, a two-stage process utilising different media in the green stage, with subsequent re-suspension in medium without nitrate was employed to optimise the formation of red motile macrozooids. Optimal growth in the green phase was obtained on cultivation under mixotrophic conditions in EG:JM media followed by re-suspension in medium without nitrate resulting in red motile macrozooids with an astaxanthin content of 2.74% (78.4% of total carotenoids) and a lipid content of 35.3% (rich in unsaturated fatty acids. It is envisaged that the red motile macrozooids could be harvested and fed as a whole-cell product directly in the animal feed and aquaculture sectors, or used as a blend of carotenoids and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in nutraceutical products.

The Growth Comparison of Haematococcus Pluvialis in Two Different Medium

“…Haematococcus pluvialis was cultured under conditions shown in Table 1, and then the cell density is shown in Table 2. In which, the parameter of light (intensity and photoperiod) and temperature were in optimum condition (Lavens & Sorgeloos, 1996;Masojídek & Torzillo, 2008), then the alga was growth in a green stage (Butler et al, 2018). The appearance of culture color is shown in Figure 1.…”

“…The highest production of astaxanthin pigments in Haematococcus pluvialis is when the alga growth in extreme conditions (red stage), such as lack of nutrients. While in a normal growth environment (green stage), the alga will produce more biomass (Butler et al, 2018).…”

Influence of inoculum size, CO2 concentration and LEDs on the growth of green microalgae Haematococcus pluvialis Flotow

“…Temperature is a key factor that directly affects the specific growth rate of H. pluvialis. In this study, H. pluvialis cells were cultured in a 500-ml flask placed in a water bath at different temperature points (18,20,23,25,28, 30 and 32 0 C) and monitored via a Hailea HC-150A chiller system and air conditioner. The cell suspension was illuminated with 40W fluorescent lamps at 35 µmoles.m 2 .s -1 .…”

“…The optimal temperature for the growth of this H. pluvialis was 25 0 C, and the specific growth rate (µ) under this condition in the logarithmic phase was 0.18±0.025 per day or 0.0075 h -1 , which was equivalent to the doubling time of 3.85 days or 84h. Studies revealed that the specific growth rate of H. pluvialis was affected by many cultivation factors and varied from 0.007 to 0.05 per h [1,17,22,23]. Depending on strains, most studies reported that the optimal temperature for H. pluvialis strains was within the range of 25 to 28 0 C [1][2][3]13].…”

Studi Awal Pertumbuhan dan Induksi Mikroalga Haematococcus Pluvialis

“…Haematococcus pluvialis merupakan alga hijau uniseluler yang tergolong dalam kelas Chlorophyceae, ordo Volvocales, famili Haematococcaceae (Lorenz, 1999). H. pluvialis dapat mengakumulasi astaxantin hingga sebesar 4% dari berat kering, paling tinggi di antara semua organisme yang dapat memproduksi astaxantin (Zhang et al, 2016;Butler et al, 2017). Dengan demikian H. pluvialis dikenal sebagai organisme penghasil utama astaxantin yang merupakan produk komersial.…”