Protein and Lipid Composition of Duckweeds (Landoltia punctata and Wolffia arrhiza) Grown in a Controlled Cultivation System

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Duckweed is a common aquatic angiosperm and is consumed by humans in Southeast Asia. Due in part to their high protein content, duckweeds have been identified as a potential human food source. Here, we conducted a preliminary study to quantify and characterize the protein and lipid content of two species of duckweed, Wolffia arrhiza and Landoltia punctata. Materials and Methods:The plants were grown for 9 days in a controlled cultivation system and proteins were extracted into n-hexane with a Soxhlet extractor. Amino acids were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography and all eight essential amino acids were present in both species at concentrations comparable to those in legumes. Lipids from the protein extraction residue were recovered and the fatty acids analyzed by gas chromatography. Results: The protein content was 0.14±0.03 and 0.17±0.01 g protein/g dry biomass and the total lipid content was 0.06±0.01 and 0.09±0.01 g lipid/g dry biomass for L. punctata and W. arrhiza, respectively. Most of the FAs were polyunsaturated, specifically, 58.38% of the total FA Methyl Esters (FAME) for L. punctata and 44.46% of the total FAME for W. arrhiza were polyunsaturated. Among these, most were omega-3 FAs, representing 44.93 and 22.17% of the total FAME in L. punctata and Wolffia arrhiza, respectively. The FAs obtained were mostly long-chain (13-22 C). Conclusion: L. punctata and W. arrhiza have a high content of both proteins and FAs, contain the essential amino acids and a considerable amount of omega-3. We consider that these results support the potential for these duckweed species to serve as a source of proteins and lipids in human food.

Comparative analysis of germination performance from several species of seeds under influence of silica nanoparticles

“…Plants are indeed a significant source of nutritious food for humans and animals. They have the remarkable ability to synthesize a wide range of compounds, including primary metabolites such as carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids, which are essential for sustaining life [1]. Plant growth and development start from a seed which is successfully passed the germination phase.…”

Ability of greater duckweed (Spirodela polyrrhiza) to absorb cadmium and its potency as phytoremediator

“…Phytoremediation had been carried out so far using many plants such as Eichhornia crassipes (Ting et al, 2018), Typha domingensis (Gomes et al, 2014), Scirpus grossus (Al-Baldawi et al, 2014), and Phragmites australis (Hechmi et al, 2014), but after the phytoremediation process was complete, the residue biomass would accumulate and not be utilized. By using duckweed, the residual biomass could be converted into several other bioproducts such as bioethanol (Sembada & Faizal, 2022). This study would be investigated the absorption capacity of cadmium in S. polyrrhiza and the growth characteristics affected by the presence of heavy metal.…”