MICROALGAE AS TOCOPHEROL PRODUCERS

Abstract

Microalgae are able to accumulate considerable amounts of tocopherols (up to 4 mg/g dry weight). The content of α-tocopherol to plant oils is low, whereas microalgae contain up to 97% of the tocochromanols that provides high bioactivity. The data about the content of tocopherols in eukaryotic microalgae Dunaliella tertiolecta, Nannochloropsis oculata, Isochrysis galbana, Euglena gracilis, Tetraselmis suecica, Diacronema vlkianum, as well as in the cyanobacterium Spirulina platensis are given in the paper. The largest amounts of tocopherols are synthesized by Euglena gracilis cells at mixotrophic cultivation. The level of tocopherols in microalgae depends on cultivation conditions. Two-stage biotech cultivation techniques, limiting nutrition in some biogenic elements, the introduction of exogenous carbon sources are used to increase the yield of tocopherol from microalgae. The approaches to the genetic transformation of plants leading to higher content of active vitamin E are rewieved as well.

Keywords

• microalgae
• α-tocopherol
• two-step cultivation