Alterations in Body Fatty acid Composition in Microalga, Pavlova lutheri, grown in different standard Culture Media

Abstract

The present work monitored variations in fatty acid profile and analysed the nutritional status of the live feed Pavlova lutheri, a marine microalga which was grown in three different culture media. Pure cultures of microalga were collected from the marine hatchery complex of the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi. Standard algal culture conditions viz., medium, in sterilized seawater of salinity 33 ppt, standard pH of 8.0, culture room temperature of 25oC, light intensity of 1500 lux with a photoperiod of 12h.L:12h.D etc. were maintained. Lipids were extracted and were subjected to gas chromatography in an attempt to ascertain their fatty acid profile. Total saturated fatty acids ranged from 54.88% (Miquel’s medium), 76.54% (Chu#10 medium) to 75.8% (F/2). In the case of monounsaturated, only a slight variation is seen among the three. ie. minimum for Chu#10 (16.54%) and maximum for F/2 (19.99%). For cultures in Miquel’s, medium the value was 18.42%. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) accounted for over 26.70% of the total fatty acids in Miquel’s medium whereas it was only 6.87 and 4.21% in Chu#10 and F/2 media respectively. Statistical analysis of data brought to light that the composition of the medium can influence the fatty acid pattern of microalgae significantly (p<0.05). By analyzing the results it can be confirmed that the nutritional value of Pavlova lutheri can be enhanced by culturing in Miquel’s medium.