ASSESSMENT OF THE POTENTIAL OF MINKERY WASTEWATERS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF DUNALIELLA SALINA AND β-CAROTENE.
Date
2018-08-31T18:13:42Z
Authors
MacEachern, Craig
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Abstract
Dunaliella salina is a species of green microalgae most prominently known for its ability to accumulate large quantities of β-carotene. As part of this study, mink wastewater was incorporated as a nutrient medium as a means of stimulating growth and reducing costs. Mink wastewater, when compared with standard Bold’s Basal Medium saw no significant differences between the nutrient sources in terms of growth (P-value 0.880). This represents a savings of 0.21 CAD per litre of growth medium used at laboratory scale. Following the growth period, a light stress condition of 13 500 lux was introduced using LED bulbs and achieved a maximum β-carotene accumulation of 14.33% of total biomass in lower density cultures. For higher density cultures, maximum β-carotene accumulation would require an increase in illuminance. While Dunaliella salina was able to grow photoautotrophically and mixotrophically it demonstrated an inability to grow heterotrophically in mink wastewater.
Description
This study aims to assess the viability of mink wastewater as a nutrient source in the production of Dunaliella salina. As a means of cost offsetting, carotenogenesis potential in Dunaliella salina was also explored through exposure to elevated light intensity. Beta-carotene is the primary carotenoid produced in Dunaliella salina and being that it is a pro-vitamin A carotenoid and the fact that vitamin A deficiency is the second most common vitamin deficiency globally there is certainly a market for such a product. Finally this study explored a variety of metabolic pathways in order to assess the suitability for Dunaliella salina to be produced photoautotrophically, heterotrophically and mixotrophically.
Keywords
Microalgae, Dunaliella, salina, carotene, carotenoids, mink, wastewater