Different carbon source alternative medium improves Euglena sp. growth and paramylon production

Abstract

Euglena sp. is a type of microalgae are widely recognized for producing an important compound called paramylon. If Euglena sp. is grown in a medium containing a carbon source, it can produce more paramylon. The culture medium alternative must be optimized to maximize biomass production and specifically targeted metabolites. This study aims to compare the effects of glucose and glutamic acid as carbon sources on the growth rate, biomass, and paramylon (β-1,3-glucan) content of Euglena species. The treatment that carried out as the different organic carbon sources were glucose and glutamic acid. About one g/l of each treatment were added to Cramers and Myers (CM) culture medium to see how they affected growth rate, biomass, and paramylon content in Euglena sp. culture. The optical density based on absorbance was used to calculate the density of the cells, biomass was known by measuring the dry weight, and paramylon content produced was analyzed using the phenol-sulfuric acid method. The CM medium treatment with glucose added (CM+Glucose) had the highest specific growth rate, biomass, and paramylon content, with values of 2.902±0.338 (OD680/dx10-1), 0.476±0.023 g/l, and 2.416±0.129 mg/ml Euglena sp. can be utilized to produce paramylon on an industrial scale, so it is necessary to carry out further identification process regarding the species of Euglena sp. local strain, and it is hoped that there will be further research on other possible methods to increase the paramylon content in Euglena sp., such as using organic waste to replace the organic carbon source in the medium.