Monday, May 2, 2011
Grand Ballroom C-D, 2nd fl (Sheraton Seattle)
Sugar beet pulp (SBP) is the solid residue of table sugar processing and might have high-value added application for bio-based products. The present study investigated the utilization of SBP as a renewable feedstock to produce eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) via heterotrophic microalgal fermentation. Both fresh and ensiled SBP were hydrolyzed by both enzymatic and sulfuric acid hydrolysis. The hydrolyzates were used as carbon and energy sources for microalgal heterotrophic growth. Chlorella minutissima UTEX 2341 and Crypthecodinium cohnii UTEX L1649 were studied in this research. The effects of SBP hydrolysis methods and conditions and the microalgal growth medium (nitrogen resource, C/N ratio, sugar concentration, etc.) on algal growth characteristics, lipid production and EPA and DHA yields were also studied. The results of heterotrophic cultivation, including lip yields and algae cell wall compositions will be compared with those of photoautotrophic cultivation in the defined medium.