Fucoxanthin Production Research Articles

Evaluation of scale‐up methodologies and computational fluid dynamics simulation for fucoxanthin production in airlift photobioareactor

AbstractResearches about commercial‐scale production of fucoxanthin are increasing day by day due to the much interest of its broad beneficial health effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the scale‐up methodologies in airlift photobioreactor and to simulate fluid flow using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for fucoxanthin production from Phaeodactylum tricornutum microalgae. During the transition process from 1‐L cultivation bottle to the 2‐L airlift photobioreactor, the constant mixing time, the constant volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient, and the constant volumetric power consumption rate were evaluated as scale‐up methodologies under laboratory conditions. Maximum fucoxanthin yield was found as 1.01 ± 0.07 mg g−1 using scale‐up strategy based on constant volumetric power consumption rate. After that, CFD simulation was performed in order to examine flow characteristics, mixing efficiency, hydrodynamics, and gas holdup for selected operation conditions. It was observed that mixing efficiency was low because the draft tube configuration prevented the circulation of fluid and caused a heterogenic culture medium inside the reactor. It is possible to overcome this bottleneck by developing the effective draft tube.

A novel culture medium for freshwater diatoms promotes efficient photoautotrophic batch production of biomass, fucoxanthin, and eicosapentaenoic acid

Diatoms have recently emerged as new promising sources of fucoxanthin and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Most applied studies in this area have focused on marine diatoms whereas the characterization of freshwater diatom metabolism has been restricted to ecophysiological studies. Here, we describe a novel culture medium for freshwater diatoms, the FDMed medium, and we demonstrate that it supports high biomass, fucoxanthin, and EPA production yields in photoautotrophic batch cultures of Sellaphora minima and Nitzschia palea. Growth was monitored for 21 days, fucoxanthin and EPA concentrations were assayed all along cultivation processes, and results were compared to those obtained for two other media (WC and Modified COMBO (MCOMBO)). The FDMed medium was found to increase biomass yields comparatively to MCOMBO medium (5–7-fold higher algal concentration at the stationary phase in S. minima and N. palea, respectively) while WC medium enables nearly no growth. The evolution of nitrate, silicate, and phosphate concentrations in culture media indicated a much better balance of macroelements in the FDMed medium. Fucoxanthin contents within the biomass remained very stable in the FDMed medium compared to the other media, in which it gradually decreases, and the best results (around 7.5 mg g-1 dry weight ) were obtained for S. minima in the FDMed medium. EPA could only be measured in the FDMed medium and the highest content (14.0 mg EPA g-1 dry weight) was recorded in N. palea. This work demonstrates the great industrial potential of freshwater diatoms and provides an efficient culture medium for those organisms.

Marine diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii based biorefinery for co-production of eicosapentaenoic acid and fucoxanthin

Diatom algae can produce bioactive compounds like fucoxanthin (FX) and ecosapentaenoic acid (EPA) which are of high demand in pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries. Here, the influence of different light regimes in combination with major nutrients on growth, FX and EPA production by marine diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii were investigated. Batch cultures of T. weissflogii were illuminated under blue (BL), red (RL) and white (WL) light at two intensities. BL regime resulted in higher cell density with a specific growth rate of 2.49µ. Lipid productivity and lipid % as dry cell weight (DCW) was considerably higher in BL with EPA productivity of 33.4 mg L−1d−1. Fucoxanthin content as % DCW reached 0.95 (BL), 0.75 (RL) and 0.81 (WL) at mid exponential growth phase. The results further prove the plasticity of diatoms and provide a way for future metabolic engineering of T. weissflogii for potential microalgal bio-refinery for combined EPA and FX production.

Combined artificial high-silicate medium and LED illumination promote carotenoid accumulation in the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum

BackgroundDiatoms, which can accumulate large amounts of carotenoids, are a major group of microalgae and the dominant primary producer in marine environments. Phaeodactylum tricornutum, a model diatom species, acquires little silicon for its growth although silicon is known to contribute to gene regulation and play an important role in diatom intracellular metabolism. In this study, we explored the effects of artificial high-silicate medium (i.e. 3.0 mM sodium metasilicate) and LED illumination conditions on the growth rate and pigment accumulation in P. tricornutum, which is the only known species so far that can grow without silicate. It’s well known that light-emitting diodes (LEDs) as novel illuminants are emerging to be superior monochromatic light sources for algal cultivation with defined and efficient red and blue lights.ResultsFirstly, we cultivated P. tricornutum in a synthetic medium supplemented with either 0.3 mM or 3.0 mM silicate. The morphology and size of diatom cells were examined: the proportion of the oval and triradiate cells decreased while the fusiform cells increased with more silicate addition in high-silicate medium; the average length of fusiform cells also slightly changed from 14.33 µm in 0.3 mM silicate medium to 12.20 µm in 3.0 mM silicate medium. Then we cultivated P. tricornutum under various intensities of red light in combination with the two different levels of silicate in the medium. Higher biomass productivity also achieved in 3.0 mM silicate medium than in 0.3 mM silicate medium under red LED light irradiation at 128 μmol/m2/s or higher light intensity. Increasing silicate reversed the down-regulation of fucoxanthin and chlorophyll a under high red-light illumination (i.e. 255 μmol/m2/s). When doubling the light intensity, fucoxanthin content decreased under red light but increased under combined red and blue (50:50) lights while chlorophyll a content reduced under both conditions. Fucoxanthin accumulation and biomass productivity increased with enhanced red and blue (50:50) lights.ConclusionHigh-silicate medium and blue light increased biomass and fucoxanthin production in P. tricornutum under high light conditions and this strategy may be beneficial for large-scale production of fucoxanthin in diatoms.

Screening of Isochrysis strains for simultaneous production of docosahexaenoic acid and fucoxanthin

Microalgae are capable of synthesizing a wide range of value-added compounds such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and fucoxanthin. In the present study, the potential for simultaneous production of DHA and fucoxanthin by the marine alga Isochrysis was investigated via strain screening and culture optimization. A comparative analysis of sixteen Isochrysis strains revealed that CCMP1324 was superior with regard to growth and production of DHA and fucoxanthin. In response to various nutritional and environmental cues, CCMP1324 accumulated DHA and fucoxanthin in a coordinated and growth-dependent manner, which reached ~17.1 and 14.1 mg g−1, respectively. A semi-continuous culture strategy leading to high productivities of DHA (9.05 mg L−1 day−1) and fucoxanthin (7.96 mg L−1 day−1) was developed. Taken together, our study represents a pioneering work studying the accumulation coordination between DHA and fucoxanthin in Isochrysis. These findings provide valuable insights into future exploration for the integrated production of high-value compounds.

Co-cultivation and stepwise cultivation of Chaetoceros muelleri and Amphora sp. for fucoxanthin production under gradual salinity increase

In a seawater-based open pond microalgae cultivation system salinity will increase gradually over time due to evaporative loss. Continuous salinity increase would lead to non-optimal salinities which negatively affect the biomass and fucoxanthin productivity. To increase and maintain high overall biomass and fucoxanthin productivity, even in the non-optimal salinity zone, two cultivation methods for marine and halotolerant microalgae were carried out, co-cultivation and stepwise cultivation (sequential cultivation). Two fucoxanthin-producing diatoms, Chaetoceros muelleri (marine) and Amphora sp. (halotolerant), were cultivated at non-optimal salinities between 59 and 65‰. Stepwise cultivation showed approximately 63% higher total biomass and 47% higher fucoxanthin productivity than that of co-culture. The ability to reutilize culture media in the stepwise cultivation increases the sustainability of that method. The use of a stepwise culture regime, coupled with a regimen of gradually increasing salinity, provides the possibility of year round fucoxanthin production from microalgae.

Transition from start-up to scale-up for fucoxanthin production in flat plate photobioreactor

Fucoxanthin is one of the most important carotenoids and is found in diatoms such as Phaeodactylum tricornutum. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of both the constant volumetric power consumption rate as scale-up strategy and the constant light energy per unit volume for transition from 1000-mL bottle to 2-L and 7-L flat plate photobioreactors for fucoxanthin production in P. tricornutum, considering whether an increase in the fucoxanthin yield could be achieved. The cell concentration and fucoxanthin content were enhanced with increasing the cultivation volume. It was found that the fucoxanthin yield increased 2.3 times in 2-L photobioreactor and 2.6 times in 7-L photobioreactor in comparison to the value of 1.05 mg g−1 dry weight in the cultivation bottle. Consequently, fucoxanthin production was successfully step-wise scaled-up from 1000-mL bottle to 7-L photobioreactor using both constant volumetric power consumption rate and the constant light energy per unit volume under laboratory conditions.

Comparison of different photobioreactor configurations and empirical computational fluid dynamics simulation for fucoxanthin production

Microalgae production in culture systems has been a topic of intense study for a long time. Optimization of cultivation conditions and design parameters of photobioreactors are essential for the development of economically and technically feasible algae technologies. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of different photobioreactor (PBR) configurations on biomass and fucoxanthin production from Phaeodactylum tricornutum and to examine culture conditions by using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation for the photobioreactor having the maximum yield. The cells were first cultivated in three different PBRs (flat plate, airlift and stirred tank) and the maximum cell concentration of 5.94 ± 0.12 × 107 cells/ml was obtained in flat plate PBR. Also, highest fucoxanthin amount was found in the same PBR with the value of 2.43 ± 0.23 mg g−1. Flat plate PBR was simulated using CFD and the obtained results were used to evaluate mixing efficiency, flow dynamics and velocity fields. The extent of mixing was found sufficient to achieve homogenous culture medium and mean turbulent kinetic energy field suggested a homogeneous dissipation, also higher intensities of turbulence were observed around the nozzles and at the liquid-gas interphase. However, dead zones and vortex formations were observed in a small proportion of PBR. For further researches, assembling mixers or baffles into the PBR may be a feasible and effective method to improve the mixing efficiency and to prevent hydrodynamic problems. It was shown that the result of cultivation experiment had good agreement with that of CFD prediction.

Environmental and nutrient conditions influence fucoxanthin productivity of the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum grown on palm oil mill effluent

Palm oil mill effluent (POME) is a type of wastewater posing large problems when discharged in the environment. Yet, due to its high nutrient content, POME may offer opportunities for algal growth and subsequent harvesting of high-value products. The marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum is a potential feedstock diatom for bioactive compounds such as the carotenoid fucoxanthin, which has been shown to have pharmaceutical applications. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the growth and fucoxanthin productivity of P. tricornutum grown on POME, as a function of light intensity, temperature, salinity, and nutrient enrichment. High-saturating irradiance (300 μmol photons m−2 s−1) levels at 25 °C showed highest growth rates but decreased the fucoxanthin productivity of P. tricornutum. Box-Behnken response surface methodology revealed that the optimum fucoxanthin productivity was influenced by temperature, salinity, and the addition of urea. Nutrient enrichment by phosphorus did not enhance cell density and fucoxanthin productivity, while urea addition was found to stimulate both. We conclude that POME wastewater, supplemented with urea, can be considered as the potential medium for P. tricornutum to replace commercial nutrients while producing high amounts of fucoxanthin.

Changes in the fucoxanthin production and protein profiles in Cylindrotheca closterium in response to blue light-emitting diode light

BackgroundMarine diatoms have a higher fucoxanthin content in comparison to macroalgae. Fucoxanthin features many potent bioactive properties, particularly anti-obesity properties. Despite the great potential for harvesting larger amounts of fucoxanthin, the impacts of light quality (light source, intensity, and photoperiod) on fucoxanthin production and the essential proteins involved in fucoxanthin biosynthesis in marine diatoms remain unclear.ResultsIn the present study, Cylindrotheca closterium was selected from four different species of diatoms based on its high fucoxanthin content and productivity. Optimal light conditions (light source, intensity, and regime) were determined by a “Design of Experiment” approach (software MODDE Pro 11 was used). The model indicated that an 18/6 light/darkness regime increased fucoxanthin productivity remarkably as opposed to a 12/12 or 24/0 regime. Eventually, blue light-emitting diode light, as an alternative to fluorescent light, at 100 μmol/m2/s and 18/6 light/darkness regime yielded maximum fucoxanthin productivity and minimal energy consumption. The fucoxanthin production of C. closterium under the predicted optimal light conditions was assessed both in bottle and bag photobioreactors (PBRs). The high fucoxanthin content (25.5 mg/g) obtained from bag PBRs demonstrated the feasibility of large-scale production. The proteomes of C. closterium under the most favorable and unfavorable fucoxanthin biosynthesis light/darkness regimes (18/6 and 24/0, respectively) were compared to identify the essential proteins associated with fucoxanthin accumulation by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight–mass spectrometry. Six proteins that were up-regulated in the 18/6 regime but down-regulated in the 24/0 were identified as important chloroplastic proteins involved in photosynthesis, energy metabolism, and cellular processes.ConclusionsBlue light-emitting diode light at 100 μmol/m2/s and 18/6 light/darkness regime induced maximum fucoxanthin productivity in C. closterium and minimized energy consumption. The high fucoxanthin production in the bag photobioreactor under optimal light conditions demonstrated the possibility of commercialization. Proteomics suggests that fucoxanthin biosynthesis is intimately associated with the photosynthetic efficiency of the diatom, providing another technical and bioengineering outlook on fucoxanthin enhancement.

Approaches for the sustainable production of fucoxanthin, a xanthophyll with potential health benefits

Fucoxanthin is a xanthophyll and one of the main marine carotenoids. It is present in macro- and micro-algae as a component of photosynthetic light-harvesting complexes. Fucoxanthin has been shown to be bioactive in a variety of model systems, having antioxidant, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, anti-aging, anti-angiogenic, and anti-metastatic effects in animals. Fucoxanthin has been proven to be safe for consumption by animals, including humans, and hence has the potential to be used as a bioactive molecule for the prevention and/or treatment of diseases in humans. In this review, we provide an overview of the main fucoxanthin-containing algae and the fucoxanthin biosynthetic pathway in algae, and discuss the potential health benefits of fucoxanthin for humans. We summarize the various methods that can be used to extract fucoxanthin from algae and evaluate the potential of biotechnological approaches, such as cell culture and the genetic engineering, for sustainable fucoxanthin production.

Production of fucoxanthin, chrysolaminarin, and eicosapentaenoic acid by Odontella aurita under different nitrogen supply regimes

Microalgae are recognized as promising producers of many bioactive products, but their utility is limited due to high production costs. We subjected the marine diatom Odontella aurita to three nitrogen supply regimes [initial low nitrogen (ILN), initial high nitrogen (IHN), and initial high nitrogen plus supplementary nitrogen (SN)] to investigate the accumulation of three high-value bioactive components: fucoxanthin, chrysolaminarin and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). We found that SN conditions maximized fucoxanthin accumulation: a maximum productivity of 6.01mgL-1d-1 was obtained, a 4.32-fold and 1.42-fold increase over production in the ILN and IHN groups, respectively. After nitrogen was depleted in the growth medium, chrysolaminarin became the dominant energy storage compound. Chrysolaminarin content rose to 60.33% of dry weight (DW) in the ILN group, and 46.27% of DW in the IHN group. Variations in fatty acid composition across the different nitrogen supply regimes indicated that EPA primarily accumulated in the glycolipids, especially when nitrogen supply was sufficient. The maximum productivity of chrysolaminarin (161.55mgL-1d-1) and EPA (9.37mgL-1d-1) was observed in the IHN group. However, IHN conditions did not maximize overall content of either compound. Our results demonstrated that O.aurita is potentially useful as a producer of a variety of bioactive products; the compounds produced by this species can be controlled by altering the nitrogen supply.

A Hetero-Photoautotrophic Two-Stage Cultivation Process for Production of Fucoxanthin by the Marine Diatom Nitzschia laevis.

There is currently much interest in fucoxanthin due to its broad beneficial health effects. The major commercial source of fucoxanthin is marine seaweed, which has many shortcomings, and has thus restricted its large-scale production and more diversified applications. In this study, growth characteristics and fucoxanthin accumulation were evaluated to explore the potential of the marine diatom Nitzschia laevis in fucoxanthin production. The results suggested that heterotrophic culture was more effective for cell growth, while the mixotrophic culture was favorable for fucoxanthin accumulation. A two-stage culture strategy was consequently established. A model of exponential fed-batch culture led to a biomass concentration of 17.25 g/L. A mix of white and blue light significantly increased fucoxanthin content. These outcomes were translated into a superior fucoxanthin productivity of 16.5 mg/(L·d), which was more than 2-fold of the best value reported thus far. The culture method established herein therefore represents a promising strategy to boost fucoxanthin production in N. laevis, which might prove to be a valuable natural source of commercial fucoxanthin.

An integrated biorefinery process: Stepwise extraction of fucoxanthin, eicosapentaenoic acid and chrysolaminarin from the same Phaeodactylum tricornutum biomass

The cultivation of microalgae is a high energy consumption process, which consumes a large amount of water, nutrients, electric energy and manpower. Thus, comprehensive utilization of algal biomass is a key to achieving cost-effective industrial production of bioproducts. In this paper, an integrated biorefinery process was conducted on Phaeodactylum tricornutum biomass to produce three valuable bioactive compounds via stepwise extraction using different solvent systems. Fucoxanthin, highly concentrated eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and chrysolaminarin were successively purified, concentrated, and characterized from P. tricornutum with a series of separation and identification technologies, and the yield (the weight of the purified compounds/the absolute weight in algal biomass, %) of these active compounds were 34.03 ± 0.72%, 23.00 ± 0.29%, and 43.54 ± 0.91%, respectively. Moreover, the fucoxanthin extraction conditions were also optimized, and ethanol and microwave-assisted treatments of 1 min provided the best fucoxanthin yield. In conclusion, this study suggested an effective biorefinery process for the production of fucoxanthin, EPA, and chrysolaminarin from the same P. tricornutum biomass.

Combined production of fucoxanthin and EPA from two diatom strains Phaeodactylum tricornutum and Cylindrotheca fusiformis cultures.

Fucoxanthin and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) provide significant health benefits for human population. Diatom is a potential natural livestock for the combined production of EPA and fucoxanthin. In this study, first, the effects of three important parameters including light intensity, nitrogen concentration and salinity were evaluated for the production of EPA and fucoxanthin in two diatom strains Phaeodactylum tricornutum and Cylindrotheca fusiformis. And then, two steps method based on light intensity were applied to produce EPA and fucoxanthin in large scale. Higher light intensity was first adopted for the high growth rate and lipid content of diatom, and after a period of time, light intensity was lowered to enhance the accumulation of fucoxanthin and EPA. In final, the highest EPA yields were 62.55 and 27.32mg L-1 for P. tricornutum and C. fusiformis, and the fucoxanthin yield reached 8.32 and 6.05mg L-1, respectively.

A Rapid Method for the Determination of Fucoxanthin in Diatom.

Fucoxanthin is a natural pigment found in microalgae, especially diatoms and Chrysophyta. Recently, it has been shown to have anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and anti-obesityactivity in humans. Phaeodactylum tricornutum is a diatom with high economic potential due to its high content of fucoxanthin and eicosapentaenoic acid. In order to improve fucoxanthin production, physical and chemical mutagenesis could be applied to generate mutants. An accurate and rapid method to assess the fucoxanthin content is a prerequisite for a high-throughput screen of mutants. In this work, the content of fucoxanthin in P. tricornutum was determined using spectrophotometry instead of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). This spectrophotometric method is easier and faster than liquid chromatography and the standard error was less than 5% when compared to the HPLC results. Also, this method can be applied to other diatoms, with standard errors of 3–14.6%. It provides a high throughput screening method for microalgae strains producing fucoxanthin.

Increasing fucoxanthin production in Phaeodactylum tricornutum using genetic engineering and optimization of culture conditions

Increasing fucoxanthin production in Phaeodactylum tricornutum using genetic engineering and optimization of culture conditions

Practical experiences from the bench‐scale implementation of a bioprocess for fucoxanthin production

AbstractBACKGROUNDA laboratory‐scale protocol for the production, primary recovery and partial purification of fucoxanthin via biomass production at low light intensities was previously reported. This proposed approach exploited the use of ethanol salt aqueous two‐phase systems (ATPS) and ultrafiltration (UF) to deliver a 45% total recovery yield if all steps were implemented in a bioprocess. In this study, practical experiences derived from the bench‐scale implementation of the previously characterized lab protocol are presented.RESULTSAfter implementation of the process, a 47.5% fucoxanthin recovery was obtained, while 87.2% of the contaminant proteins were removed.CONCLUSIONThe findings reported here provide the required guidelines to facilitate process scale‐up for the potential commercial production and recovery of fucoxanthin. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry

An investigation into the effect of culture conditions on fucoxanthin production using the marine microalgae Phaeodactylum tricornutum

Fucoxanthin is a carotenoid pigment produced by algae that has a range of potential health benefits. Despite the obvious interest in developing a process for the production of fucoxanthin, relatively few authors have systematically examined the impact of culture conditions (i.e. the light intensity, medium composition and CO2 addition) on fucoxanthin production. In this work, we have addressed this issue using the marine microalgae Phaeodactylum tricornutum. It was found that at low light intensities (100μmol photons m−2s−1) the specific fucoxanthin concentration was greater (42.8±19.5mgg−1) than at a higher intensity of 210μmol photons m−2s−1 (9.9±4.2mgg−1). Addition of nitrate to the medium led to a significant increase in the specific fucoxanthin concentration with the maximum specific concentration (59.2±22.8mgg−1), volumetric concentration (20.5mgL−1) and bioreactor productivity (2.3mgL−1 day−1) being observed with the nitrate enriched medium. These reproducible results from our systematic investigation into the effect of culture conditions on fucoxanthin production are highly encouraging and clearly demonstrate the potential for P.tricornutum to be employed as a natural source of fucoxanthin in nutraceutical applications.

Halo-adapted microalgae for fucoxanthin production: Effect of incremental increase in salinity

In order to commercially exploit microalgae for the production of fucoxanthin, species must remain productive in the increasingly saline environment typical in outdoor cultivation ponds. To this end, this study investigated the salinity range, growth, fucoxanthin content and productivity of two halotolerant and four marine microalgae under salinity increase condition. The semi-continuous cultivation followed by gradual salinity increase and slow adaptation helped saline microalgae to extend the salinity range up to 55%. Tested species showed about 12% to 90% more fucoxanthin content at their optimal salinity compared to when grown at non-optimal salinities. Fucoxanthin productivity was found directly linked to biomass productivity. Marine microalgae performed best at salinities <55‰ (ppt, parts per thousand) and halotolerant microalgae was best at salinities >55‰. Among marine species, the highest fucoxanthin content and productivity was observed in Chaetoceros muelleri which was 2.92mgg−1 and 0.072mgL−1d−1 of ash free dry weight (AFDW), respectively, at 45‰ and fucoxanthin content was relatively consistent over the range of salinity between 35 and 55‰. Between two halotolerants, Amphora sp. showed the highest content and productivity of fucoxanthin which was 1.2mgg−1 and 0.053mgL−1d−1 of AFDW, respectively at 85‰ salinity. The results indicate that it is most likely possible to achieve continuous production of fucoxanthin by cultivating marine and halotolerant species one after another when salinity rises due to evaporation. Details of fucoxanthin content and productivity for Chrysotila carterae, Chaetoceros muelleri, Amphora sp. and Navicula sp. are reported for the first time.