MEDIA COMPOSITION AFFECTS THE FATTY ACIDS PROFILES OF THREE OLEAGINOUS MICROALGAE FROM THE PERUVIAN AMAZON

The objective of this research was to determine the effect of four culture media on the fatty acids profile of the microalgae Ankistrodesmus sp., Chlorella sp., and Scenedesmus sp. isolated from the Peruvian Amazon. The microalgae species were growth by triplicate in Beijerinck's medium (BM), Blue Green medium (BG-11), Bold Basal medium (BBM), and CHU-10 medium. Growth was monitored by spectrophotometric analysis at 680 nm. Biomass productivity, biochemical analyzes, and fatty acids profiling were performed using standard methods. The highest growth was obtained with BM, BBM, and CHU-10 medium for the three microalgae species and the biomass productivity was highest (> 0.23 mg.L-1.d-1) in CHU-10 medium. The highest total lipid content was reported with Ankistrodesmus sp. (13.77 - 21.58%). Carbohydrate content varied between 8.46 and 50.17%, with the highest percentage when the microalgae were cultured in BG-11 (27.26 – 37.80%) and CHU-10 media (30.72 – 50.17%). Also, the highest protein content was found in the three microalgae species cultured in BM medium (24.89 - 30.44%). The fatty acids profiles showed differences at the intra-species and inter-species levels. In conclusion, the three microalgae showed differences in their growth profile, biomass productivity, biochemical composition (carbohydrates, total lipids, and proteins contents), and fatty acids profiles. Likewise, these growth and biochemical parameters are markedly affected by the media composition. Additionally, the fatty acids profiles of the three microalgae reveals that are a good feedstocks for biodiesel production.