A thermal water microalga: Eutetramorus planctonicus as a promising source of fatty acids and lutein

Abstract

This paper explores the biotechnological potential of the Eutetramorus planctonicus. This thermal water microalga was isolated and cultivated in two media with different concentrations of nutrients to evaluate the maximum biomass yield, fatty acids, and lutein profiles. From the less nutrient medium to the more nutrient medium, the biomass productivity was 31–71 mg L−1 day−1, the percentage of fatty acids was 15.3–7.7%, the percentage of lutein was 0.46–1.22%, respectively. Media with a lower concentration of nutrient favor fatty acid production, but negatively affect the lutein and biomass productions. In comparison with higher plants, E. planctonicus produced up to 9 times more fatty acids than soybean and up to 11 times more lutein than Marigold flowers, which are the conventional source of these substances. The microalgae E. planctonicus is an excellent source of lutein that could be exploited by the food and pharmaceutical industries. Moreover, E. planctonicus is a good source of biomass and fatty acids. All these characteristics found in just one microalga species can make the process of bioproducts production cheaper.