Coproduction of EPA and Fucoxanthin with P. tricornutum – A Promising Approach for Up‐ and Downstream Processing

Abstract

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and fucoxanthin, a carotenoid, provide a broad variety of health benefits in human nutrition. In this study, an up-and downstream process for the coproduction of EPA and fucoxanthin using the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum in flat-panel airlift photobioreactors is proposed. The approach represents a promising alternative to conventional sources for both compounds, viz. marine fish and macroalgae. The productivity as well as the biomass-specific product content were optimized during cultivation. Subsequently, both compounds were extracted, separated and purified using pressurized liquids.

Media engineering in marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum employing cost‐effective substrates for sustainable production of high‐value renewables

“…[1,2] Recent advances in bioprocess technology support the development of microalgal cell factories for establishing environmentally sustainable manufacturing of HVRs. In this regard, Phaeodactylum tricornutum, a unicellular, marine pennate diatom, is considered a potential feedstock for the production of biofuel and HVRs such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), [3,4] docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), [5] chrysolaminarin, [6] fucoxanthin, [7,8] etc. and can be considered as a suitable microalgal cell factory for sustainable biorefinery processes.…”

“…[22] Additionally, fucoxanthin (1%-6% DCW), an important HVR, is the primary carotenoid produced in P. tricornutum. [7,23] During photosynthesis, xanthophylls act as a light-harvesting pigment connected to fucoxanthin-chlorophyll a/c-proteins (FCP), which are an integral part of the thylakoids. [24] Furthermore, due to its unique structure, fucoxanthin has various major bioactivities such as anti-oxidant, antiobesity, and anti-cancer properties, and it is an effective treatment for chronic disorders such as Alzheimer's.…”

Media engineering in marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum employing cost-effective substrates for sustainable production of high value renewables

“…Recent advances in bioprocess technology supports the development of microalgal cell factories for establishing environmentally sustainable manufacturing of HVRs. In this regard Phaeodactylum tricornutum , a unicellular, marine pennate diatom, is considered as a potential feedstock for the production of biofuel and HVRs such as [2,3] , eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) [4] , chrysolaminarin [5] , fucoxanthin [6,7] , etc., and can be considered as a suitable microalgal cell factory for sustainable biorefinery processes [8] .…”

“…Additionally, fucoxanthin (1% -6% DCW) an important HVR, is the primary carotenoid produced in P.tricornutum [16] [6] . During photosynthesis, xanthophylls acts as a light harvesting pigment connected to fucoxanthin-chlorophyll a/c-proteins (FCP), which are an integral part of the thylakoids [17] .…”

Thermo resistant antioxidants from photoautotrophic microorganisms: screening and characterization

“…The dry biomass from either Chlorella and Arthrospira is used as food supplements due to the high content of proteins rich in essential amino acids (Sidari and Tofalo 2019). The biomass of Nannochloropsis species, Isochrysis species, Nitzschia species, Phaeodactylum species, and Porphyridium cruentum, is rich in ω-3 fatty acids such as eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA), which exert beneficial effects on human health (Sidari and Tofalo 2019;Jiménez Callejón et al 2020;Derwenskus et al 2020).…”