Isolation and characterization of an indigenous isolate of Dunaliella sp. for beta-carotene and glycerol production from a hypersaline lake in India.
Dunaliella, a green alga grows in a wide range of marine and freshwater habitats such as oceans, brine lakes, salt marshes and salt-water ditches near the sea, predominantly in water bodies containing more than 10% salt. Sambhar salt lake, Rajasthan (India) was found as one of the natural habitat of Dunaliella sp. The species was isolated and screened for accumulation of beta-carotene and glycerol. It was studied for the growth attributes like total protein, optical density, total chlorophyll, total carotenoid, beta-carotene and glycerol. Under unstressed physico-chemical conditions the maximum beta-carotene and glycerol observed was 1.15 pg/cell and 94.26 pg/cell respectively. The stress (salt stress (NaCl), high light intensities and continuous light) allowed the alga to accumulate high beta-carotene (approximately 4.21 pg/cell under 118.18 micromole m(-2) s(-1) of light intensity) without massive reduction in biomass content. This opens up new avenues for exploring this strain for future research and its commercial exploitation.
Phadwal
Kanchan
K
Bioinformatics Centre, Dr.G.R.D. College of Sciences, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, India-641014. kanchan@computermail.net
Singh
P K
PK
D020418:Algal Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D002734:Chlorophyll / Q000096:biosynthesis; D000460:Chlorophyta / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D005990:Glycerol / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D007194:India; D008027:Light; D009997:Osmotic Pressure; D012462:Saline Solution, Hypertonic; D014871:Water Microbiology; D019207:beta Carotene / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis*
D020418:Algal Proteins; D012462:Saline Solution, Hypertonic; D019207:beta Carotene; D002734:Chlorophyll; D005990:Glycerol