Anil Kumar and Sunil Pabbi
Abstract
Dunaliella tertiolecta, a marine microalga grows luxuriantly under saline conditions. In the present study, growth rate and lipid productivity of Dunaliella tertiolecta was increased by metabolic engineering and culture conditions using one variable at a time (OVAT). The culture was grown under different concentrations of nutrients like nitrogen (KNO3), phosphorus (KH2PO4) and Sea salt with varied temperatures (28°C and 35°C) and light intensity. The maximum growth rate and lipid productivity of 11.52 mg/l/day and 10.323 mg/l/ day was obtained when Dunaliella tertiolecta was grown with 0.32 g/l KNO3 and 0.2 g/l KH2PO4, respectively, keeping other resources constant. The highest lipid productivity of 15.33 mg/l/day was obtained at 36.5 g/l of sea salt concentration. The main objectives of the present study were to analyse and replace the culture media constituents with cheaper and cost effective components. We report the use of fertilizer, Suphala, as the cheap and readily available source for replacing nutrients like nitrogen (KNO3), phosphorus (KH2PO4) and potassium in the modified culture media. Hence, it is a better option for large scale cultivation with the focus for enhanced biomass, lipid and biomolecule (carotenoid) production from Dunaliella tertiolecta.