Microalgae in Food and Medicine
ID: 3931

Abstract: Gareth Forde

The Bio Engineering Laboratory (BEL) at Monash University is engaged in two main research areas: the creation of bio-fuels from algae and the development of bioprocess technologies for the production of a malaria vaccine. Whilst on the surface these projects appear to be very different, the core, underlying biochemical and bioprocess engineering approaches are analogous. The presentation will explore similar whole systems approaches to producing two very different molecules: renewable bio-fuels for the transport industry and pre-clinical grade DNA malaria vaccine.

Inadequate malaria vaccines have contributed to malaria becoming a major world health problem. For this reason, improvements in downstream processes for the rapid production of malaria vaccine would be highly advantages in the case that a plasmid DNA (pDNA) vaccine is a viable immunization modality. The development of a rapid and commercially-viable purification process for malaria vaccine production requires a continuous or semi-continuous purification technique employing optimized stationary adsorbent(s) to allow high vaccine recovery, low processing time and hence high productivity. Additionally, enhanced delivery of the DNA vaccine is of primary importance for decreasing doseage size.

This project integrates the bio-capture of flue gas using algae which is then used as a feed stock for the creation of biodiesel. The primary aim is to capture CO2 in the form of algae which is then used as a feedstock for the production of bio-diesel. The wider project aim to create an integrated process engineering approach to CO2 capture which then off-sets the capital investment and on-going expenses of the CO2 capture technology by creating high value products from algae (i.e. bio-diesel, livestock feed and purified water). This process aims to be independently profitable regardless of future carbon taxes or carbon trading systems. A wide ranging research study has been instigated and the initial results include energy balance study for the removal of water from the algae cell culture, lipid extraction, and algae proliferation.



Walter Rakitsky

Solazyme’s microalgae technology platform utilizes industrial heterotrophic fermentation to produce algal biomass products that can be utilized directly in food products or further processed into edible oils for use in dressings, margarines, and sauces or used directly for cooking / processing of foods. The diversity of microalgae combined with their capability to metabolize simple sugars in a scalable industrial fermentation process, and their presence in the food chain for millions of years creates a food ingredient platform capable of producing lipid rich, protein rich, and polysaccharide rich algal biomasses that may augment or replace tradition food ingredients. Isolation of the lipids from Solazyme’s biomass products results in oils with compositions that can span or exceed the range of fatty acid compositions found in traditional vegetable oil products. Unrefined oils from microalgae are also plentiful in natural emulsifiers, antioxidants, and pigments which make them potential multifunctional ingredients.

Use of microalgae to produce natural food ingredients is not a new concept; however, Solazyme’s technology which was primarily developed to produce from renewable resources cost competitive oils for conversion into biofuels brings the costs of production to far lower levels than the traditional photosynthetic approach. In this paper we will outline the capabilities of the technology platform, focus on the compositions of lipid rich and protein rich algal biomass products produced at scale, and potential applications for these product in food systems as well as monounsaturated fat rich native and refined oils for consumer and food processing applications.



Harrison Dillon

Solazyme discovers and develops novel polysaccharides from marine microbes. The company’s R&D and process development capabilities are an integration of expertise in marine microbes and industrial biotechnology. The company’s platform includes: high throughput discovery of novel polysaccharides; physical and biochemical characterization; bioactivity assays; small, pilot and large scale production technology; and purification methodology. Solazyme has created a rich pipeline of novel polysaccharides.

Polysaccharides are widely used in a number of industries. Examples include pharmaceuticals (e.g. heparin); nutraceuticals (e.g. beta glucan); food additives (e.g. pectin); industrial lubricants (e.g. xanthan gum); and cosmetics (e.g. carrageenan).

Marine microbes, the evolutionary precursors to higher plants, long ago evolved the ability to secrete polysaccharides to form cell walls. In higher plants this function generates cellulosic bark and other relatively homogeneous materials. By contrast, the unicellular and adaptive nature of marine microbes has resulted in an enormous array of extracellular polysaccharides that evolved to provide evolutionary advantages in particular ecological niches.

The structural diversity of polysaccharides far exceeds that of any other class of molecules such as proteins. Structural variables of polysaccharides includes: monosaccharide composition, glycosidic linkages, branching, sulfation and methylation, and molecular weight. With such a variety of structural diversity available, marine microbes have evolved extracellular polysaccharides capable of providing protection to the cell in environments as diverse as high salinity tidal pools and high altitude snowfields. Marine microbes isolated from diverse geographical and ecological niches provide a rich source of untapped molecular diversity.

Marine microbes are a superior source of polysaccharides for several reasons. First, marine microbes provide a large and untapped source of novel polysaccharides. Second, marine microbes can be cultured using highly reproducible industrial fermentation technology. Fermentation removes seasonal and geographical production limitations as well as product variability associated with traditional sources such as higher plants or marine invertebrates. Third, the unicellular nature of marine microbes allows for rapid exploration of methods to modify the structure of polysaccharides such as altering fermentation conditions, genetic engineering, and classic mutagenesis. Solazyme employs these methods to improve a newly discovered bioactivity or structural attribute.

Solazyme has developed a large library of highly purified polysaccharides from different marine microbes in quantities ranging from milligrams to tens of kilograms. The library can be screened for any desired bioactivity or structural attribute. Bioactivities discovered in Solazyme’s library include strong protection against UV damage, stimulation of elastin and collagen production, hyaluronidase inhibition, antioxidant activity (ORACS), and multiple anti-inflammatory activities. Structural attributes have been reproducibly manipulated, such as level of sulfation, monosaccharide composition, and molecular weight. Solazyme’s process development expertise has been leveraged to formulate polysaccharides into nanobeads, water soluble serums, and other materials.



Barbara Klein

Microalgae are a widely untouched source for antiviral, antioxidative, antiinflammatoric or antibiotic substances as they are associated with a widespread concomitant flora in their natural habitat. In order to afford an axenic and therefore reproducible production of these substances in microalgae, photobioreactors in different scale starting from 0,9 L up to 120 L were developed and designed at our institute. These bioreactors allow monoseptic growth of microalgae as well as variation and optimization of cultivation parameters such as temperature, light intensity and composition of growth media and thus improvement of product formation. Based on these developments several investigations concerning antioxidative and antiviral substances as well as polyunsaturated fatty acids from microalgae were performed using these photobioreactors.

Co-enzyme Q10 is one of the most important antioxidative substances known, located in various parts of the cell like mitochondria or peroxysomes, protecting cell tissue in different processes and inhibiting lipid peroxidation. Antioxidative substances like co-enzyme Q10 isolated from natural sources play an important role in drug discovery, as experiments indicate that co-enzyme Q10 is an effective drug in e. g. Huntington’s disease’s therapy. Due to its antioxidative capacity this component is moreover of major importance for the cosmetic industry.

Reaching a final biomass concentration of 14 g/L with a cultivation volume of 120 L a total biomass of 1.68 kg of unicellular red algae Porphyridium purpureum could be achieved, using optimized cultivation parameters such as light intensity, temperature and media components.

Concentration of co-enzyme Q10 in lipophilic extracts of unicellular red alga Porphyridium purpureum was determined using reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography. Structure determination was carried out by means of Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Curve Field Reflectron (MALDI CFR) mass spectrometry. Thereby, 2,3-dimethoxy-5-methyl-6-decaprenyl-1,4-benzoquinone (co-enzyme Q10) from P. purpureum was identified, for the first time by MALDI CFR mass spectrometry.

Research of co-enzyme Q10 in red microalga Porphyridium purpureum resulted in extensive increase of product formation initiating lipid peroxidation or mitochondria proliferation by supplementation of (S)-13-hydroperoxy-(Z,E)-9,11-octadecadienoic acid and Fe2+ or oleic acid, respectively. Further investigations on variation of light intensity or supplementation of precursor molecules such as acetate also resulted in a rising co-enzyme Q10 biosynthesis. Increasing oxidative stress caused by lipid peroxidation even resulted in significant increase of antioxidative capacity of the investigated lipophilic extracts.

Extraction of co-enzyme Q10 from lipophilic extracts was performed testing methods like accelerated solvent extraction. Therefore different parameters like temperature, pressure and solvent were varied.









Moderator: Walter Rakitsky, Solazyme, Inc. (United States)

Presenter 1: Bio-fuels and DNA vaccines: Bioprocess engineering approaches.
Gareth Forde, Monash University - Institutes of Health, (Australia)  []

Presenter 2: Microalgae Food Ingredient Production Platform 
Walter Rakitsky, Solazyme, Inc., (United States)  [Confirmed]

Presenter 3: Algal Polysaccharides 
Harrison Dillon, Solazyme, Inc., (United States)  []

Presenter 4 (if necessary): Microalgae as natural sources for antioxidative compounds 
Barbara Klein, Institute of Bioprocess Engineering, (Germany)  []

Panel Organizer:
Matthew Carr, Biotechnology Industry Organization, (United States)

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