Analysis of cell growth, photosynthetic behavior and the fatty acid profile in Tetraselmis subcordiformis under different lighting scenarios

Abstract

Tetraselmis has been investigated as a potential source of lipids. This microalga possesses good growth characteristics and can be used to develop viable platforms for fatty acid production. This research aims to evaluate the effect of high photon flux density with light-dark cycles and light wavelength on biomass production and fatty acid profile in Tetraselmis subcordiformis. A low light control and treatments with high photon flux density with different light-dark cycles (24:0 h, 12:12 h, 1:1 h, and 15:15 min) and different light wavelength (white, green, red, and blue) were evaluated to determine cell concentration, nutrient consumption, chlorophyll content, photosynthetic yields, lipid content, and fatty acid profile. Significant differences were found in all variables, except for phosphate consumption. High photon flux density promotes cell growth with T. subcordiformis reaching biomass productivities of 0.10 g L-1 day-1 when continuous white light is used. However, no differences were observed in biomass productivities and lipid content for all high photon flux density treatments. On the other hand, red light resulted in higher cell growth, with a productivity of 0.12 g L-1 day-1, and the highest lipid content was achieved under white light. There was a significant effect on the fatty acid profile under different light conditions, with palmitic acid, oleic acid, and eicosapentaenoic acid being the most abundant. This study demonstrated that cellular growth and fatty acid profiles in T. subcordiformis can be influenced by different lighting schemes in the cultivation.