Abstract
The objective of the studies in this paper was to expand on the published toxicological assessment of Aurantiochytrium limacinum (AURA) with further strain characterization and to investigate the potential for the biomass or extracted oil to have antimicrobial properties or undesirable substances. AURA is being investigated as a novel source of the omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) for enriching foods of animal origin by means of feed supplementation. In the first studies, we provided the 18S rRNA identification of the novel marine isolated thraustochytrid, established the nutritional composition of AURA biomass for application as a food or feed ingredient including proximate analysis and fatty acid profiling, and confirmed the DHA production potential of the strain. We determined through minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) analysis that the unextracted AURA biomass was safe, showing no antimicrobial influence and no evidence of any deleterious effects of this product or its extracts at concentrations up to 1% w/w on the reference human intestinal bacteria tested. This would indicate that AURA should not stimulate selective pressure on the commensal microbiota and is therefore unlikely to aid development of antimicrobial resistance and the concomitant harm to humans and animals. Further analysis revealed that the AURA biomass produced through industrial heterotrophic fermentation was free from undesirables; toxic marine microalgal metabolites, heavy metals, pesticides, microbial contaminants, and mycotoxins. Including heterotrophically-grown AURA in food or feed, up to 1% w/w, is a safe and environmentally beneficial strategy for DHA supplementation.
Highlights
The challenges of feeding a growing global population continue to be met by the food industry worldwide
We provided the 18S rRNA identification of the novel marine isolated thraustochytrid, established the nutritional composition of Aurantiochytrium limacinum (AURA) biomass for application as a food or feed ingredient including proximate analysis and fatty acid profiling, and confirmed the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) production potential of the strain
We determined through minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) analysis that the unextracted AURA biomass was safe, showing no antimicrobial influence and no evidence of any deleterious effects of this product or its extracts at concentrations up to 1% w/w on the reference human intestinal bacteria tested
Summary
The challenges of feeding a growing global population continue to be met by the food industry worldwide. Wild-caught seafood is the primary source of dietary long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in the human diet through the direct consumption of seafood, nutritional supplements or through inclusion of fish products into the diets of other aquatic or terrestrial animals [1]. Supplementation of ruminant diets with fish oil has been shown to promote the prevalence of unsaturated fatty acids in meat and dairy products [2] [3], a fact that may have implications for human health where a reduction in saturated fat consumption and an accompanying increase in unsaturated fats can reduce the incidence of heart disease and other associated conditions [4] [5]. Reduction or removal of these contaminants is vital to prevent introduction into the food chain as their toxicity can offset the benefits of inclusion in food and feed to humans and animals alike [10]
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