Carotenoid and Fatty Acid Compositions of an Indigenous Ettlia texensis Isolate (Chlorophyceae) Under Phototrophic and Mixotrophic Conditions

Abstract

Ettlia oleoabundance (formerly known as Neochloris oleoabundance) is an attractive candidate for biodiesel production because of its high lipid accumulation, and it's taking the majority of the attention among the strains of Ettlia genus; however, potential of the other genus members is unknown. An indigenous strain from Salda Lake (South West Turkey) identified by 18S rDNA sequencing as Ettlia texensis (GenBank accession no: JQ038221), and its fatty acid and carotenoid compositions under phototrophic and mixotrophic conditions was investigated to evaluate the potential of the strain for commercial uses. A threefold increase was observed in total lipid content (total fatty acids; from 13% to 37%) in mixotrophic culture respect to the phototrophic growth conditions. The oleic acid (C18:1) and alpha-linolenic acid (18:3) were the major unsaturated fatty acids accounting for 40% and 13.2% of total fatty acids in mixotrophic culture, respectively. Carotenoid analyses of the mixotrophic culture revealed the metabolite canthaxanthin, a commercially valuable carotenoid used mainly for food coloring, was the major constituent among other pigments. The possible use of E. texensis in biotechnological applications is discussed.