Sustainable microbial and microalgal production of omega-3 fatty acids: cultivation strategies, sustainable substrates, and waste valorization

IF 3.4 2区生物学 Q1 MARINE & FRESHWATER BIOLOGY

Frontiers in Marine Science Pub Date : 2026-10-22 DOI:10.3389/fmars.2026.1950929

Swetha V., Shreya Praharaj, Shweta Sunil Nambiar, Aarka Undar, Manasvi Suchindra, Dhanya V., Faraz Ahmad, Jeevitha G. C.

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Abstract

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs), particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), are important bioactive lipids that play critical roles in cardiovascular, neurological, visual, and immune health. Although humans can synthesize EPA and DHA from shorter-chain precursors, endogenous conversion is limited, making dietary intake an important source of these long-chain fatty acids. Fish oil remains the predominant commercial source of EPA and DHA; however, declining fish stocks, overfishing, marine pollution, and climate change have raised concerns regarding the sustainability, safety, and long-term availability of conventional marine sources. Consequently, microorganisms, including bacteria, microalgae, dinoflagellates, thraustochytrids, and other oleaginous protists, have emerged as promising alternative sources of omega-3 PUFAs. This review provides a comprehensive overview of microbial and microalgal platforms for large-scale EPA and DHA production, focusing on cultivation strategies, lipid extraction and purification, and factors influencing product stability and bioavailability. The potential of inexpensive and sustainable substrates derived from agricultural residues, food-processing by-products, waste oils, and wastewater is also discussed in the context of waste valorization and the circular bioeconomy. Furthermore, the health benefits, advantages, limitations, and technological challenges associated with microbial and microalgal omega-3 production are critically evaluated, along with emerging strategies for improving productivity, process sustainability, and commercial feasibility.

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可持续微生物和微藻生产的omega-3脂肪酸：培养策略，可持续的底物，和废物增值

Omega-3多不饱和脂肪酸（n-3 PUFAs），特别是二十二碳六烯酸（DHA）和二十碳五烯酸（EPA），是重要的生物活性脂质，在心血管、神经、视觉和免疫健康中起着至关重要的作用。虽然人类可以从短链前体合成EPA和DHA，但内源性转化是有限的，这使得饮食摄入成为这些长链脂肪酸的重要来源。鱼油仍然是EPA和DHA的主要商业来源；然而，鱼类资源的减少、过度捕捞、海洋污染和气候变化引起了人们对传统海洋资源的可持续性、安全性和长期可用性的关注。因此，微生物，包括细菌、微藻、鞭毛藻、水蚤和其他产油原生生物，已经成为有希望的omega-3 PUFAs的替代来源。本文综述了大规模生产EPA和DHA的微生物和微藻平台，重点介绍了培养策略、脂质提取和纯化以及影响产品稳定性和生物利用度的因素。在废物增值和循环生物经济的背景下，还讨论了从农业残留物、食品加工副产品、废油和废水中提取的廉价和可持续底物的潜力。此外，与微生物和微藻生产omega-3相关的健康益处、优势、限制和技术挑战，以及提高生产率、工艺可持续性和商业可行性的新兴战略，都进行了严格评估。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Frontiers in Marine Science Agricultural and Biological Sciences-Aquatic Science

CiteScore

5.10

自引率

16.20%

发文量

2443

审稿时长

14 weeks

期刊介绍： Frontiers in Marine Science publishes rigorously peer-reviewed research that advances our understanding of all aspects of the environment, biology, ecosystem functioning and human interactions with the oceans. Field Chief Editor Carlos M. Duarte at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Thuwal is supported by an outstanding Editorial Board of international researchers. This multidisciplinary open-access journal is at the forefront of disseminating and communicating scientific knowledge and impactful discoveries to researchers, academics, policy makers and the public worldwide. With the human population predicted to reach 9 billion people by 2050, it is clear that traditional land resources will not suffice to meet the demand for food or energy, required to support high-quality livelihoods. As a result, the oceans are emerging as a source of untapped assets, with new innovative industries, such as aquaculture, marine biotechnology, marine energy and deep-sea mining growing rapidly under a new era characterized by rapid growth of a blue, ocean-based economy. The sustainability of the blue economy is closely dependent on our knowledge about how to mitigate the impacts of the multiple pressures on the ocean ecosystem associated with the increased scale and diversification of industry operations in the ocean and global human pressures on the environment. Therefore, Frontiers in Marine Science particularly welcomes the communication of research outcomes addressing ocean-based solutions for the emerging challenges, including improved forecasting and observational capacities, understanding biodiversity and ecosystem problems, locally and globally, effective management strategies to maintain ocean health, and an improved capacity to sustainably derive resources from the oceans.