Production of Lipids and Carotenoids in Coccomyxa onubensis Under Acidic Conditions in Raceway Ponds
Coccomyxa onubensis (C. onubensis) belongs to the extensive genus Coccomyxa, which inhabits ecosystems with high metal concentrations, generally at acidic pH. In this study, the feasibility of cultivating the acidotolerant microalga C. onubensis in raceway open ponds was investigated. Specific atten...
| Autores: | , , , , , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2025 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universidad de Huelva (UHU) |
| Repositorio: | Arias Montano. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Huelva |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:ariasmontano.uhu.es:10272/27569 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10272/27569 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Acidotolerant microalga Raceway open pond Carotenoids Lutein PUFA 3308 Ingeniería y Tecnología del Medio Ambiente 2403 Bioquímica 2417 Biología Vegetal (Botánica) |
| Sumario: | Coccomyxa onubensis (C. onubensis) belongs to the extensive genus Coccomyxa, which inhabits ecosystems with high metal concentrations, generally at acidic pH. In this study, the feasibility of cultivating the acidotolerant microalga C. onubensis in raceway open ponds was investigated. Specific attention was paid to the production of lipids and carotenoids. C. onubensis was cultivated outdoors, under non-sterile conditions, in three separate ponds that differed in their nutrient concentrations and aeration rates. The results show that C. onubensis was able to grow steadily and free of photosynthetic contaminants throughout the cultivation period. The low pH of the media prevented non-extremophilic competitors from proliferating, thus allowing for the selective growth of C. onubensis. The highest productivity values for the biomass and targeted compounds were obtained in the culture supplemented with twice the amount of nutrients and aeration rate. These significant maximum productivity values were 0.223 mg of carotenoids·g−1·d−1, 0.139 mg of chlorophylls·g−1·d−1, and 0.031 g of biomass·L−1·d−1. A significant maximum lipid production of 9.87% in the dry biomass was reached, of which 49.92% corresponded to polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Overall, this manuscript demonstrates that the production of acidic-habitat microalgae in open systems can be advantageous for microalgae-based production of carotenoids and PUFAs, while avoiding contamination by photosynthetic competitors. |
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