The effect of photoperiodism on nutritional potency of Euglena sp. Indonesian strains

Introduction: Biomass microalgae functional materials, such as drugs and food supplements, have recently received much attention. Euglena sp. is a particularly appealing microalgae because of its simplicity of culture and capacity to produce a wide range of bioactive compounds. Moreover, it is one of the few microorganisms that produces carbohydrate, lipid, protein, ß-1,3-glucans, antioxidants, phytotoxins, wax esters, and polyunsaturated fatty acids that can be used to make nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, and cosmeceuticals. However, the potential utilisation of Euglena sp. for production of food supplements has been exploited only on a limited basis. Methods: This study was modified by adding protocatechuic acid and photoperiodism for 12:12; 14:10; 16:8; and full dark to affect the metabolite content of Euglena sp. Results: Results showed that the photoperiod had significant effect on lipid, chlorophyll-a, and carotenoid levels in the control treatment, with the highest levels as follows: 0.52±0.03 g/L, 1.20±0.01 x10-2 g/L, 0.30±0.02 x10-2 g/L; while the others were not significantly affected by the treatment, with the highest protein content at full dark 3.10±0.2 x10-2 g/L; chlorophyll-b at photoperiod 14:10 0.70±0.03 x10-2 g/L; paramylon at photoperiod 12:12 1.90±0.02 x10-1 g/L. The highest carbohydrates were found in control, with a level of 1.20±0.02 g/L. Conclusion: Photoperiodism is recommended to enhance productivity of protein, paramylon, and chlorophyll-b, while full light is recommended to enhance carbohydrate, lipid, chlorophyll-a, and carotenoid production in Euglena sp. to improve the quality of food nutrition.