ALGAEN CORPORATION — Department of Agriculture SBIR Phase I: 8.7

Description

The cardiovascular benefits of fish oil enriched in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs), namely eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are well-documented. When combined with gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), n-3 PUFAs have been shown to reduce the risk of chronic inflammatory disorders, such as asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. However, the consumption of fish oil remains low in the American population. A natural alternative to fish oil that could supplement the intake of n-3 PUFA is predicted to reduce the overall incidence in cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and inflammatory disorders. A marine coccolithophorid microalga Pleurochrysis carterae has been identified as the promising alternative source of PUFAs because it contains a unique fatty acids profile , which make this alga an ideal candidate for simultaneous production of multiple PUFAs as human food supplements. This project aims at demonstrating the feasibility of large scale cultivation of P. carterae to produce multiple PUFAs for human consumption to combat CVD and inflammatory disorders. The project objectives focus on developing large scale Modular Flat Plate Photobioreactors for commercial cultivation of this organism, and demonstrating the safety of the PUFAs from the P. carterae for human consumption.The positive results of these studies should be immediately translatable to the fight against CVD and inflammatory disorders in the American population. The successful completion of this project will enable us to establish a commercially viable microalgae biotechnology for production of PUFAs, which is targeted at the multi-billion dollar market of fish oil.