Production and Enhancement of Omega-3 Fatty Acid from Mortierella alpina CFR-GV15: Its Food and Therapeutic Application.

Mortierella sp. has been known to produce polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) such asGLAandAAunder normal growth medium
conditions. Similarly, under the stress condition, this fungus produces EPA and DHA in their mycelial biomass. Among the 67 soil
samples screened from theWestern Ghats of India, 11 Mortierella isolates showed the presence of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acid,
mainly GLA, AA, EPA, andDHAin starch, yeast-extract medium.Nile red and TTC strainswere used for screening their qualitative
oleaginesity. Among the representative isolates, when Mortierella sp. is grown in a fat-producing basal medium, a maximum lipid
content of 42.0 ± 1.32% in itsmycelia, 6.72 ± 0.5% EPA, and 4.09 ± 0.1% DHA was obtained. To understand the Mortierella sp. CFRGV15,
to the species level, its morphology was seen under the light microscope and scanning electron microscope, respectively.
These microscopic observations showed that isolate Mortierella sp. CFR-GV15 produced coenocytic hyphae. Later on, its 18S rRNA
and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences were cloned, sequenced, and analyzed phylogenetically to 18S rRNA and ITS1
and ITS4 sequences of related fungi.This newly isolated Mortierella alpina CFR-GV15 was found to be promising culture for the
development of an economical method for commercial production of omega-3 fatty acid for food and therapeutical application.