title: Unlocking nature's treasure-chest: screening for oleaginous algae.
abstract: Micro-algae synthesize high levels of lipids, carbohydrates and proteins photoautotrophically, thus attracting considerable interest for the biotechnological production of fuels, environmental remediation, functional foods and nutraceuticals. Currently, only a few micro-algae species are grown commercially at large-scale, primarily for "health-foods" and pigments. For a range of potential products (fuel to pharma), high lipid productivity strains are required to mitigate the economic costs of mass culture. Here we present a screen concentrating on marine micro-algal strains, which if suitable for scale-up would minimise competition with agriculture for water. Mass-Spectrophotometric analysis (MS) of nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) was subsequently validated by measurement of total fatty acids (TFA) by Gas-Chromatography (GC). This identified a rapid and accurate screening strategy based on elemental analysis. The screen identified Nannochloropsis oceanica CCAP 849/10 and a marine isolate of Chlorella vulgaris CCAP 211/21A as the best lipid producers. Analysis of C, N, protein, carbohydrate and Fatty Acid (FA) composition identified a suite of strains for further biotechnological applications e.g. Dunaliella polymorpha CCAP 19/14, significantly the most productive for carbohydrates, and Cyclotella cryptica CCAP 1070/2, with utility for EPA production and N-assimilation.
authors.affiliation: Microbial and Molecular Biology Department, Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), Scottish Marine Institute, Oban, PA37 1QA, UK.
authors.forename: Stephen P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Slocombe
authors.affiliation: Microbial and Molecular Biology Department, Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), Scottish Marine Institute, Oban, PA37 1QA, UK.
authors.forename: QianYi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Microbial and Molecular Biology Department, Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), Scottish Marine Institute, Oban, PA37 1QA, UK.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ross
authors.affiliation: Microbial and Molecular Biology Department, Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), Scottish Marine Institute, Oban, PA37 1QA, UK.
authors.forename: Avril
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.affiliation: Microbial and Molecular Biology Department, Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), Scottish Marine Institute, Oban, PA37 1QA, UK.
authors.forename: Naomi J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.affiliation: Microbial and Molecular Biology Department, Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), Scottish Marine Institute, Oban, PA37 1QA, UK.
authors.forename: Ángela
authors.initials: Á
authors.lastname: Lapresa
authors.affiliation: Culture Collection of Algae and Protozoa (CCAP), Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), Scottish Marine Institute, Oban, PA37 1QA, UK.
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rad-Menéndez
authors.affiliation: Culture Collection of Algae and Protozoa (CCAP), Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), Scottish Marine Institute, Oban, PA37 1QA, UK.
authors.forename: Christine N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.affiliation: Ecology Department, Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), Scottish Marine Institute, Oban, PA37 1QA, UK.
authors.forename: Kenneth D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Black
authors.affiliation: Microbial and Molecular Biology Department, Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), Scottish Marine Institute, Oban, PA37 1QA, UK.
authors.forename: Michele S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Stanley
authors.affiliation: Culture Collection of Algae and Protozoa (CCAP), Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), Scottish Marine Institute, Oban, PA37 1QA, UK.
authors.forename: John G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Day
mesh_terms: D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D050356:Lipid Metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D058086:Microalgae / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D013045:Species Specificity