Arachidonic acid synthesis from biodiesel‐derived waste by Mortierella alpina

Abstract

The synthesis of arachidonic acid (15–20% of lipid) from biodiesel‐derived waste by Mortierella alpina strains was demonstrated. An inverse correlation between lipid and arachidonic acid production was revealed in media with different concentrations of carbon substrate. A method of increasing the arachidonic acid content of M. alpina lipid based on the additional incubation of harvested mycelium was developed. The effect of mycelium age, time of incubation, and temperature on the fatty acid composition of lipid was studied. Under optimal conditions (incubation of a harvested 7‐day mycelium at RT for 4–7 days), the arachidonic acid content of lipid in M. alpina strains NRRL‐A‐10995 and LPM‐301 grown on biodiesel‐derived waste and in the pure‐glycerol grown strain LPM‐301 increased by 162–199% of initial level (from 14.6 to 29.0%, from 19.8 to 36.5%, and from 35.0 to 56.8%, respectively).Practical applications: Arachidonic acid (AA) has found wide applications in medicine, pharmacology, diet, and infant nutrition as a precursor of several key eicosanoid hormones and pharmacologically active metabolites, as well as in agriculture as an elicitor of plant resistance to phytopathogens. Microbiological processes for AA production usually use carbohydrate substrates. Results of this study indicate that AA can be produced by Mortierella alpina strains from biodiesel‐derived waste, inexpensive and renewable carbon substrate.