Polyunsaturated fatty acids production and transformation byMortierella alpinaand anaerobic bacteria

Discovery of novel fungal species and pathogens on bat carcasses in a cave in Yunnan Province, China

Virulent infectious fungal diseases, in natural and managed landscapes, are increasing. Fungal diseases in humans, animals and plants have caused die-off and extinction events and have become a threat to food security. A caving expedition in Yunnan Province, China, revealed two bat carcasses covered in fungal mycelia. Eleven fungal isolates were obtained from these bat carcasses, and morphological observations and multigene phylogenetic analyses revealed they were Fusarium incarnatum, Mucor hiemalis and Trichoderma harzianum and four new species, Mortierella rhinolophicola, M. multispora, M. yunnanensis and Neocosmospora pallidimors. One of the more alarming findings is that a number of infections related to Neocosmospora, previously associated with human and animal mycotoxicoses, are reported to be increasing, and here we present a new species from this genus, isolated from dead bats. Due to the ecosystem services provided by bats, and the close relationship between bats and humans, future research should focus on the impacts and significance of N. pallidimors to human and animal health, examining its pathogenicity and secondary metabolites. Taxonomic descriptions, color images of the habitat, in situ samples, microstructures and cultures are presented. SEM photographs of microstructures and phylogenetic trees showing the placement of new and known species are also provided.

Influence of Supplementation of Vegetable Oil Blends on Omega-3 Fatty Acid Production in Mortierella alpina CFR-GV15

Objectives of this study were designed for improved production of mycelial omega-3 fatty acids with particular reference to EPA and DHA from the oleaginous fungus Mortierella alpina CFR-GV15 under submerged low temperatures fermentation supplemented with linseed oil and garden cress oil as an additional energy source. The fungus was grown at 20°C temperature for four days initially followed by 12°C temperature for next five days. The basal medium contained starch, yeast extract, and a blend of linseed oil (LSO) and garden cress oil (GCO) in the ratio 1 : 1. Results of the study revealed that, after nine days of total incubation period, the enhancement of biomass was up to 16.7 g/L dry weight with a total lipid content of 55.4% (v/w). Enrichment of omega-3 fatty acids indicated a significant increase in fatty acid bioconversion (ALA 32.2 ± 0.42%, EPA 7.9 ± 0.1%, and DHA 4.09 ± 0.2%) by 2.5-fold. The two-stage temperature cultivation alters the fatty acid profile due to activation of the desaturase enzyme in the cellular levels due to which arachidonic acid (AA) content reduced significantly. It can be concluded that Mortierella alpina CFR-GV15 is a fungal culture suitable for commercial production of PUFAs with enriched EPA and DHA.

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 as GLA and AA under 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 the Western Ghats of India, 11 Mortierella isolates showed the presence of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acid, mainly GLA, AA, EPA, and DHA in starch, yeast-extract medium. Nile red and TTC strains were 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 its mycelia, 6.72 ± 0.5% EPA, and 4.09 ± 0.1% DHA was obtained. To understand the Mortierella sp. CFR-GV15, 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.