Determination of Fatty Acid Concentrations in Various Strains of Freshwater Green Picoplankton Algae (Class Eustigmatophyceae)

Authors

P. Ashcraft, University of Arkansas at Monticello, Monticello, AR
R. Jacks, University of Arkansas at Monticello, Monticello, AR
B. Martinez, University of Arkansas at Monticello, Monticello, AR
J. Rodriguez, University of Arkansas at Monticello, Monticello, AR
A.B. Burns, University of Arkansas at Monticello, Monticello, AR
A. Gurnsey, University of Arkansas at Monticello, Monticello, AR
L. Taylor, University of Arkansas at Monticello, Monticello, AR
A. Teague, University of Arkansas at Monticello, Monticello, AR
J. Totty, University of Arkansas at Monticello, Monticello, AR
V.L. Fox, University of Arkansas at Monticello, Monticello, AR
A. Williams, University of Arkansas at Monticello, Monticello, AR

Keywords

algae strains, fatty acid synthesis, consistency, profiles

Abstract

Algae are of scientific and commercial interest due to their ease of culture and high fatty acid content. The extracted fatty acids from these phytoplankton may potentially be used as an additional test for phylogenetic classification of new algal strains (Tonon et al. 2002), as well as in a supplement for human consumption and producing next-generation biofuels. Of interest is the fatty acid content contained within various algal isolates within the class Eustigmatophyceae. Algal strains were collected and isolated from locations in Lake Chicot in Arkansas, Tower Pond and Lake Itasca at Itasca State Park in Minnesota, and Thayer Lake in the upper peninsula of Michigan (Fawley et al. 2007, Prior et al. 2009). The strains collected were then subjected to a 5-step process for lipid preparation: lypholization, lipid extraction, filtration, esterification, and methyl ester extraction. The fatty acid methyl ester extracts were analyzed using GC-MS. After qualitative determination of fatty acids by mass spectrometry, relative quantities of the fatty acids were determined by peak integration, and tricosanoic acid (C23:0) was used as a standard to determine absolute quantities. Preliminary results show differences between algal strains of Eustigmatophyceae via relative fatty acid concentration.

Recommended Citation

Ashcraft, P.; Jacks, R.; Martinez, B.; Rodriguez, J.; Burns, A.B.; Gurnsey, A.; Taylor, L.; Teague, A.; Totty, J.; Fox, V.L.; and Williams, A. (2023) "Determination of Fatty Acid Concentrations in Various Strains of Freshwater Green Picoplankton Algae (Class Eustigmatophyceae)," Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science: Vol. 77, Article 4.
Available at: https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol77/iss1/4