Production of Eicosapentaenoic Acid-Enriched Triacylglycerol by Mucor hiemalis HA-30

Abstract

  Microorganisms that accumulated the eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)-enriched triacylglycerol (TG), were screened for using yeast-malt medium containing 1% free EPA. The best strain was identified as Mucor hiemalis HA-30. The optimum culture conditions for the accumulation of EPA-enriched TG were : 3% soluble starch, 0.5% polypeptone, 0.3% yeast extract, 0.5% free EPA, and pH 6.0 at 25°C. After the cultivation, 1.77 mg/ml of the TG with EPA purity of 79% was obtained. The EPA content in TG increased in conjunction with the EPA content of the supplemented free fatty acids or ethyl esters. Free EPA were more efficiently incorporated than the ethyl esters. Trieicosapentaenoyl glycerol (EPA, EPA, EPA) accounted for 73% of total TGs.