Effects of nitrogen source and NaCl stress on oil production in Vischeria sp. WL1 (Eustigmatophyceae) isolated from dryland biological soil crusts in China

Study of the Polysaccharide Production by the Microalga Vischeria punctata in Relation to Cultivation Conditions

“…Valuable chemicals (polysaccharides) of microalgae can be widely used in technologies for creating new types of functional food products, biologically active food supplements, and pharmaceutical substances. These products can be recommended for lowering the level of cholesterol in human blood and, thus, for preventing the development of atherosclerosis [ 4 , 12 , 28 , 29 ].…”

“…Additionally, the majority of the fat components are polyunsaturated fatty acids, and some of these algae have been found to contain significant amounts of valuable eicosapentaenoic acid [ 10 ]. Under stress conditions, these microalgae are known to be a superproducer of eicosapentaenoic fatty acid [ 11 , 12 ]. Schnepf et al [ 13 ] notes that all Eustigmatophyceae are characterized by the presence of so-called refractive granules, which are a storage substance of a β-1-3-linked polysaccharide.…”

Exploitation of inland salt lake water by dilution and nutrient enrichment to cultivate Vischeria sp. WL1 (Eustigmatophyceae) for biomass and oil production

“…Vischeria sp. WL1 was isolated from a biocrust in the arid steppe of western China and was identified by morphological and molecular analyses [8] . The inoculum was regularly maintained in BG11 medium [13] at 25 ℃ under continuous illumination of 60 μmol photons m −2 s −1 (LED white light).…”

“…Microalgae are an important group of photoautotrophic microorganisms that live in marine, freshwater and soil ecosystems. They can produce and accumulate value-added biochemicals, such as oils, pigments, proteins and carbohydrates [5] , [6] , [7] , [8] , [9] . The microalgae that grow in salt lakes, such as Tetraselmis and Dunaliella strains, have been isolated for producing glycerol and oil [ 10 , 11 ].…”

“…Recently, we isolated an oil-producing eustigmatophyte, Vischeria sp. WL1, from a dryland biocrust and assessed its oil production capability [8] . Unlike freshwater microalgal strains, this terrestrial strain exhibited salt tolerance, and supplementation of 0.3 M NaCl in cultural medium could result in a cost-effective production of oils [8] .…”