Optimisation of biomass production and nutritional value of two marine diatoms (Bacillariophyceae), Skeletonema costatum and Chaetoceros calcitrans

• Autor(a) principal: Bastos, Carolina R. V.
• Data de Publicação: 2022
• Outros Autores: Maia, Inês Beatriz, Pereira, Hugo, Navalho, João, Varela, João
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.1/17774
• topic: Biomass growth; Silica; Nitrate; Phosphorus; Iron; Micronutrients; Skeletonema costatum; Chaetoceros calcitrans

S. costatum and C. calcitrans are two cosmopolitan high-value centric diatoms, with a rich nutritional profile. The following work optimised the culture medium of <i>S. costatum</i> and <i>C. calcitrans</i> cultures, respectively, in a stepwise process as follows: 2.4 mM and 1.2 mM of silicate, 4 mM of nitrate, 100 µM of phosphate, 20 and 80 µM iron, and 0.5 mL L⁻¹ of micronutrients. The results that were obtained revealed an increase in biomass productivity with a 1.8- and 3.2-fold increase in biomass that was produced by <i>S. costatum</i> and <i>C. calcitrans</i>, respectively. The biochemical profile showed an increase in high-value PUFAs such as 2.6-fold and 2.3-fold increase in EPA for <i>S. costatum</i> and <i>C. calcitrans</i>, respectively, whilst a 2.6-fold increase in DHA was detected in <i>S. costatum</i> cultures. The present work provides the basic tools for the industrial cultivation of <i>S. costatum</i> and <i>C. calcitrans</i> with enhanced productivity as well as improved biomass quality, two factors which are highly relevant for a more effective application of these diatoms to aquaculture and nutraceutical production.