Using Environmental Cues to Modify Fatty Acid Production
Additional Funding Sources
The project described was supported by a student grant from the UI Office of Undergraduate Research.
Abstract
A promising candidate for biofuel and nutritional supplements is the photosynthetic protist Euglena gracilis. In addition to producing essential ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids E. gracilis, under certain conditions, produces high yield of waxy esters that can be used without modification as biofuel. E. gracilis also produces a range of fatty acids including those with methyl branching. Previous studies that focused on industrial lipid production examined the effect of autotrophic (photosynthesis only) and heterotrophic conditions. Our preliminary studies examined changes in fatty acid profile as a result of changing nutritional factors. In the current study, we compared these nutritional factors with different strains of E. gracilis, and the effects of environmental factors common to farming. E. gracilis can be grown under constant light, but to mimic outdoor farming they were grown in a 14:10 light:dark cycle. E. gracilis were also cultured at different temperatures to reflect different climes. As time permits, different strains of E. gracilis were grown at a range of pH values to assess lipid production, and growth under acidic conditions (pH 3-4) is a passive approach to reduce contamination. By comparing the resulting fatty acid profiles this study begins to address variables associated with farming E. gracilis.
Using Environmental Cues to Modify Fatty Acid Production
A promising candidate for biofuel and nutritional supplements is the photosynthetic protist Euglena gracilis. In addition to producing essential ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids E. gracilis, under certain conditions, produces high yield of waxy esters that can be used without modification as biofuel. E. gracilis also produces a range of fatty acids including those with methyl branching. Previous studies that focused on industrial lipid production examined the effect of autotrophic (photosynthesis only) and heterotrophic conditions. Our preliminary studies examined changes in fatty acid profile as a result of changing nutritional factors. In the current study, we compared these nutritional factors with different strains of E. gracilis, and the effects of environmental factors common to farming. E. gracilis can be grown under constant light, but to mimic outdoor farming they were grown in a 14:10 light:dark cycle. E. gracilis were also cultured at different temperatures to reflect different climes. As time permits, different strains of E. gracilis were grown at a range of pH values to assess lipid production, and growth under acidic conditions (pH 3-4) is a passive approach to reduce contamination. By comparing the resulting fatty acid profiles this study begins to address variables associated with farming E. gracilis.
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