Process for the heterotrophic production of microbial products with high concentrations of omega-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids
View Patent ↗Disclosed is a process for growing the microflora Thraustochytrium, Schizochytrium , and mixtures thereof, which includes the growing of the microflora in fermentation medium containing non-chloride containing sodium salts, in particular sodium sulfate. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the process produces microflora having a cell aggregate size useful for the production of food products for use in aquaculture. Further disclosed is a food product which includes Thraustochytrium, Schizochytrium , and mixtures thereof, and a component selected from flaxseed, rapeseed, soybean and avocado meal. Such a food product includes a balance of long chain and short chain omega-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids.
1. A process for culturing a microorganism of the order Thraustochytriales for the production of lipids, the process comprising:
culturing the microorganism of the order Thraustochytriales in a culture medium that comprises a chloride concentration of less than about 500 mg/L and a non-chloride source of sodium selected from the group consisting of soda ash, sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium sulfate and mixtures thereof, and wherein the microorganism after culturing has a sterol content of at least about 0.1% ash-free dry weight (afdw) and a cholesterol content of at least about 15% of the total sterol content.
2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the non-chloride source of sodium provides a sodium concentration in a range of about 1 g/L to about 50 g/L.
3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the non-chloride source of sodium provides a sodium concentration of about 2 g/L to about 25 g/L.
4. The process of claim 1 , wherein the lipids comprise at least one highly unsaturated fatty acid (HUFA).
5. The process of claim 4 , wherein the at least one HUFA is selected from the group consisting of DHA, EPA, DPA, and mixtures thereof.
6. The process of claim 5 , wherein the at least one HUFA is DHA.
7. The process of claim 1 , wherein the non-chloride source of sodium provides a sodium concentration of less than about 25 g/L.
8. The process of claim 1 , wherein the culture medium comprises sodium chloride.
9. The process of claim 1 , wherein the culturing of the microorganism produces up to about 12% dry weight (% dwt) total cellular omega-3 fatty acids.
10. The process of claim 1 , wherein the microorganism replicates by successive bipartition.
11. The process of claim 1 , wherein the microorganism replicates by forming sporangia and releasing zoospores.
12. The process of claim 1 , wherein the microorganism is Thraustochytrium, Schizochytrium or mixtures thereof.
13. The process of claim 1 , wherein the culturing is at a temperature of about 5° C. to about 48° C. and a pH of about pH 5.0 to about pH 11.0.
14. The process of claim 1 , wherein the non-chloride source of sodium is sodium sulfate.
15. The process of claim 1 , wherein less than about 25% of the sodium in the culture medium is supplied as sodium chloride.
16. The process of claim 1 , wherein after culturing the microorganism has an average cell aggregate size less than about 150 microns in diameter.
17. The process of claim 1 , wherein after culturing the microorganism has an average cell aggregate size less than about 100 microns in diameter.
18. The process of claim 1 , wherein after culturing the microorganism has an average cell aggregate size less than about 50 microns in diameter.
19. The process of claim 1 , wherein the culture medium comprises a starting sugar concentration and the culturing produces a yield of biomass that is at least 50% of the starting sugar concentration.
20. The process of claim 1 , further comprising recovering fatty acids from the microorganism.