RT Journal Article
T1 Production of Lipids and Carotenoids in Coccomyxa onubensis Under Acidic Conditions in Raceway Ponds
A1 Szotkowski, Martin
A1 Robles Garrido, María
A1 Fuentes Cordero, Juan Luis
A1 Cuaresma Franco, María
A1 Ruiz Domínguez, María del Carmen
A1 Torronteras Santiago, Rafael
A1 Garbayo Nores, Inés
A1 Vílchez Lobato, Carlos
A1 Ruiz Domínguez, María del Carmen
AB Coccomyxa onubensis (C. onubensis) belongs to the extensive genus Coccomyxa, which inhabits ecosystems with high metal concentrations, generally at acidic pH. In this study, the feasibility of cultivating the acidotolerant microalga C. onubensis in raceway open ponds was investigated. Specific attention was paid to the production of lipids and carotenoids. C. onubensis was cultivated outdoors, under non-sterile conditions, in three separate ponds that differed in their nutrient concentrations and aeration rates. The results show that C. onubensis was able to grow steadily and free of photosynthetic contaminants throughout the cultivation period. The low pH of the media prevented non-extremophilic competitors from proliferating, thus allowing for the selective growth of C. onubensis. The highest productivity values for the biomass and targeted compounds were obtained in the culture supplemented with twice the amount of nutrients and aeration rate. These significant maximum productivity values were 0.223 mg of carotenoids·g−1·d−1, 0.139 mg of chlorophylls·g−1·d−1, and 0.031 g of biomass·L−1·d−1. A significant maximum lipid production of 9.87% in the dry biomass was reached, of which 49.92% corresponded to polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Overall, this manuscript demonstrates that the production of acidic-habitat microalgae in open systems can be advantageous for microalgae-based production of carotenoids and PUFAs, while avoiding contamination by photosynthetic competitors.
PB MDPI
SN 2227-9717 (electrónico)
YR 2025
FD 2025
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10272/27569
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10272/27569
LA eng
NO Szotkowski, M., Robles, M., Fuentes, J. L., Holub, J., Cuaresma, M., Márová, I., Ruiz-Domínguez, M. C., Torronteras, R., Dávila, J., Garbayo, I., & Vílchez, C. (2025). Production of Lipids and Carotenoids in Coccomyxa onubensis Under Acidic Conditions in Raceway Ponds. Processes, 13(12), 4041. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13124041
NO This work was funded by the Andalusian Research, Development and Innovation Plan (Junta de Andalucía, Spain) and FEDER funds (Project P20_00930), the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and FEDER funds (Project PID2023-148098OA-I00), and the Internal Grant Agency of the Brno University of Technology (grant number FCH-S-25-8818).
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Huelva
RD 31 may 2026