Abstract
The feasibility of growing Euglena gracilis in some crop fertilizers was investigated and some biological activities of the produced biomass were evaluated. A fed-batch mixotrophic culture was done in an airlift photobioreactor operated at an aeration rate of 0.2 vvm. A final biomass concentration of 2.6 gL-1 obtained with NPK15:15:15 after 96 h of cultivation was significantly lower than the 5.7 gL-1 obtained with BGII medium under the same culture condition. There was no significant effect of supplementing conventional rat feeds with Euglena biomass or captopril (an antihypertensive drug) on the body weight of the rats. However, supplementation with Euglena biomass had significant (P<0.05) effects on some biological activities such as, inhibition of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), hypocholesterolaemic activity and increase in red blood count (P<0.05). Analysis of the dried algal biomass showed a protein content of 33.327%, fat content of 16.4%, poly unsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content of 51.33 mgKOH/g, and vitamin E content of 171.3 mg/100 g. Key words: Mixotrophic, angiotensin converting enzyme, hypocholesterolaemic activity, photobioreactor.
Highlights
There is an increase in chronic–degenerative diseases all over the world
E. gracilis grew in all the fertilizers tested but their growth rates were different for each fertilizer
The effectiveness of the various optima concentrations of fertilizers in supporting the growth of E. gracilis was ranked as NPK 15:15:15 > (NPK12:12:17 = Boost Xtra) > NPK 20:10:10
Summary
There is an increase in chronic–degenerative diseases all over the world. This has been attributed to environmental factors such as high caloric diet intake, lack of exercise, tobacco and alcohol consumption; and genetic predisposition (Torres-Duran et al, 2007). Functional foods can be prepared by fortification of traditional foods with some ingredients which directly or indirectly have beneficial effects on human health. Such ingredients can be synthetic or natural ingredients usually extracted from.
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