Study of Canola Meal Extract in the Synthesis of Lipids by Mortierella alpina
Date
2024-01-09
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
ORCID
0009-0001-0144-6499
Type
Thesis
Degree Level
Masters
Abstract
Quality and cost-effective raw materials and the utilization of agriculture by-products with potential
quality attributes and negligible commercial value can be supplemented in several microbial
processing industries. Canola meal (CM), a by-product of canola processing, has an excellent
nutritional profile composed of protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals, and could serve as a
potential candidate for microbial culture media. Saskatchewan, as a global leader in canola
production, has plans for upscaling its canola processing facilities. The efficient utilization of canola
meal extract (CME) in the production of lipids and polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as arachidonic
acid (ARA) has the potential to serve as valuable ingredients or base chemicals for food, feed, and
nutraceutical industries. This current study focused on the incorporation of alkaline extract (AE) and
subcritical extract (SE) of CM in a culture medium of an oleaginous fungus, Mortierella alpina
ATCC 32223, by replacing conventional yeast extract (YE) at a level of 50 % and 100 %. Extraction
for AE was conducted at 75 °C with a pH of 10.5, while for SE, it was carried out at 160 °C without
pH control. Initial trials were conducted to examine the effect of aeration at a level of 0.5 to 2.0 vvm
on fungal growth and it was found that increasing aeration rate increased fungal growth rate from
0.16 day-1 to 0.39 day-1. Also, the ARA percentage in the lipid increased from 10.39% to 21.86%. It
became evident that ARA production was positively correlated with biomass accumulation and its
lipid content. During the replacement of YE by CME, it was observed that the 100% substitution of
YE by CME yielded growth results similar to that of the control, which employed standard media
containing YE. Moreover, AE- and SE-supplemented media exhibited a higher ARA accumulation
of 144.91 mg/L and 165.8 mg/L, respectively, in comparison to standard media (124.87 mg/L).
Interestingly, when glucose was omitted from the culture, media supplemented with 100% AE
performed better as compared to standard media. However, the limitation of glucose had an adverse
effect on both the growth and lipid content of the culture.
Description
Keywords
Canola meal, canola meal extract, Mortierella alpina, lipids, arachidonic acid
Citation
Degree
Master of Science (M.Sc.)
Department
Food and Bioproduct Sciences
Program
Food Science