Production of Single Cell Oils from Bacterial Sources

Single Cell Oils (SCO) is of profound interest for a variety of purposes ranging from biofuels to nutritional adjuvants, pharmaceutical applications and biotransformation for valuable products. A number of microorganisms have been shown to produce and accumulate SCO. In the present study a methodical attempt was made to isolate potential SCO producers from Indian water sources. Saltwater samples from the Arabian Sea and freshwater samples from an Indian cold-water river (Pindhari River, Uttarakhand) were collected and studied for the occurrence of lipid producing microbes. Of the several isolates shortlisted as lipid producers three isolates from this study were identified as potential SCO producers based on their lipid producing abilities. The types of fatty acids comprising the SCO from selected isolates were studied by Gas Chromatography (GC) and confirmed by Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS). Lipid profiles from the GC analysis showed that the isolates in this study produced economically and nutritionally valuable Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) like Palmitoleic acid and Oleic acid. Also, two isolates from the Arabian Sea were seen to produce a valuable omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid (PUFA) like Eicosapentanoic acid. While a freshwater isolate produced Linoleic acid an omega-6 PUFA. Selected isolates were characterized for their biochemical characteristics and identified molecularly by 16S rRNA sequencing. Ornithinibacillus sp. Marseille-P3601 strain isolated in our study from the cold-water River Pindhari, Uttarakhand is found capable of producing PUFA.