Optimization of Media Components for Enhanced Arachidonic Acid Production by Mortierella alpina under Submerged Cultivation.

Mortierella alpina, an oleaginous zygomycete
is a potent producer of arachidonic acid, the pharmaceutically
and nutraceutically important polyunsaturated fatty
acid of the n-6 series. It serves a wide variety of purposes,
from being a purely structural element in phospholipids to
being involved in signal transduction, and as a substrate for
a host of derivatives involved in second messenger function.
Arachidonic acid has applications in diverse areas
including infant and geriatric nutrition. In the present study,
the interactive effects of four major media constituents on
arachidonic acid production were investigated by applying
a central composite rotatable design (CCRD) and response
surface methodology (RSM). The independent variables,
which were selected byconcentrations of glucose, corn
solids, KH2PO4, and KNO3 influenced the production of
biomass, total lipid, and arachidonic acid by M. alpina. A
second-order polynomial was fitted by multiple regression
analysis of the experimental data. The optimum conditions
(glucose 10.0 g/L, corn solids 5.0 g/L, KH2PO4 1.0 g/L,
and KNO3 1.0 g/L) resulted in maximum production of
arachidonic acid (1.39 g/L) and the corresponding biomass
and total lipid concentrations were 12.49 and 5.87 g/L,
respectively.