Optimal Nitrate Supplementation in <i>Phaeodactylum tricornutum</i> Culture Medium Increases Biomass and Fucoxanthin Production
<i>Phaeodactylum tricornutum</i> is a model diatom with numerous potential applications in the industry, including the production of high-value carotenoid pigments such as fucoxanthin. This compound is a potent antioxidant currently extracted mainly from brown macroalgae. Fucoxanthin exh...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-02-01
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| Series: | Foods |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/11/4/568 |
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| author | Clélia Afonso Ana Rita Bragança Bárbara A. Rebelo Tânia S. Serra Rita Abranches |
| author_facet | Clélia Afonso Ana Rita Bragança Bárbara A. Rebelo Tânia S. Serra Rita Abranches |
| author_sort | Clélia Afonso |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <i>Phaeodactylum tricornutum</i> is a model diatom with numerous potential applications in the industry, including the production of high-value carotenoid pigments such as fucoxanthin. This compound is a potent antioxidant currently extracted mainly from brown macroalgae. Fucoxanthin exhibits several biological properties with well-known beneficial effects in the treatment and prevention of lifestyle-related diseases. <i>P. tricornutum</i> offers a valuable alternative to macroalgae for fucoxanthin production as it has a specific productivity that is 10-fold higher as compared with macroalgae. However, production processes still need to be optimised to become a cost-effective alternative. In this work, we investigated the optimal supplementation of nitrate in a cultivation medium that is currently used for <i>P. tricornutum</i> and how this nitrate concentration affects cell growth and fucoxanthin production. It has previously been shown that the addition of sodium nitrate increases productivity, but optimal conditions were not accurately determined. In this report, we observed that the continuous increase in nitrate concentration did not lead to an increase in biomass and fucoxanthin content, but there was rather a window of optimal values of nitrate that led to maximum growth and pigment production. These results are discussed considering both the scale up for industrial production and the profitability of the process, as well as the implications in the cell’s metabolism and effects in fucoxanthin production. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T21:58:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7a38b8f3e4a7423fb3b20d924d0151e9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2304-8158 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T21:58:44Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Foods |
| spelling | doaj.art-7a38b8f3e4a7423fb3b20d924d0151e92023-11-23T19:54:01ZengMDPI AGFoods2304-81582022-02-0111456810.3390/foods11040568Optimal Nitrate Supplementation in <i>Phaeodactylum tricornutum</i> Culture Medium Increases Biomass and Fucoxanthin ProductionClélia Afonso0Ana Rita Bragança1Bárbara A. Rebelo2Tânia S. Serra3Rita Abranches4MARE—Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ESTM, Polytechnic of Leiria, Edifício CETEMARES, Avenida Porto de Pesca, 2520-641 Peniche, PortugalITQB NOVA—Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Avenida República, 2780-157 Oeiras, PortugalITQB NOVA—Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Avenida República, 2780-157 Oeiras, PortugalITQB NOVA—Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Avenida República, 2780-157 Oeiras, PortugalITQB NOVA—Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Avenida República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal<i>Phaeodactylum tricornutum</i> is a model diatom with numerous potential applications in the industry, including the production of high-value carotenoid pigments such as fucoxanthin. This compound is a potent antioxidant currently extracted mainly from brown macroalgae. Fucoxanthin exhibits several biological properties with well-known beneficial effects in the treatment and prevention of lifestyle-related diseases. <i>P. tricornutum</i> offers a valuable alternative to macroalgae for fucoxanthin production as it has a specific productivity that is 10-fold higher as compared with macroalgae. However, production processes still need to be optimised to become a cost-effective alternative. In this work, we investigated the optimal supplementation of nitrate in a cultivation medium that is currently used for <i>P. tricornutum</i> and how this nitrate concentration affects cell growth and fucoxanthin production. It has previously been shown that the addition of sodium nitrate increases productivity, but optimal conditions were not accurately determined. In this report, we observed that the continuous increase in nitrate concentration did not lead to an increase in biomass and fucoxanthin content, but there was rather a window of optimal values of nitrate that led to maximum growth and pigment production. These results are discussed considering both the scale up for industrial production and the profitability of the process, as well as the implications in the cell’s metabolism and effects in fucoxanthin production.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/11/4/568microalgaemodel diatomcarotenoidfucoxanthin optimisationnitrate supplementation |
| spellingShingle | Clélia Afonso Ana Rita Bragança Bárbara A. Rebelo Tânia S. Serra Rita Abranches Optimal Nitrate Supplementation in <i>Phaeodactylum tricornutum</i> Culture Medium Increases Biomass and Fucoxanthin Production Foods microalgae model diatom carotenoid fucoxanthin optimisation nitrate supplementation |
| title | Optimal Nitrate Supplementation in <i>Phaeodactylum tricornutum</i> Culture Medium Increases Biomass and Fucoxanthin Production |
| title_full | Optimal Nitrate Supplementation in <i>Phaeodactylum tricornutum</i> Culture Medium Increases Biomass and Fucoxanthin Production |
| title_fullStr | Optimal Nitrate Supplementation in <i>Phaeodactylum tricornutum</i> Culture Medium Increases Biomass and Fucoxanthin Production |
| title_full_unstemmed | Optimal Nitrate Supplementation in <i>Phaeodactylum tricornutum</i> Culture Medium Increases Biomass and Fucoxanthin Production |
| title_short | Optimal Nitrate Supplementation in <i>Phaeodactylum tricornutum</i> Culture Medium Increases Biomass and Fucoxanthin Production |
| title_sort | optimal nitrate supplementation in i phaeodactylum tricornutum i culture medium increases biomass and fucoxanthin production |
| topic | microalgae model diatom carotenoid fucoxanthin optimisation nitrate supplementation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/11/4/568 |
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