Sains Malaysiana 51(8)(2022): 2547-2557

http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2022-5108-15

Fatty Acid Profiling and Physiochemical Characterization of Chlorella sorokiniana Potentially Used for Biofuel Production

(Pemprofilan Asid Lemak dan Pencirian Fisiokimia Chlorella sorokiniana Berpotensi Digunakan untuk Pengeluaran Bahan Api Biologi)

MUHAMMAD AMMAR¹, MARIA OMER², SITWAT AMAN^2,3, ABDUL HAMEED⁴, SAFDAR ABBAS¹, SHABNAM SHAHEEN⁵, AIMAN ABBAS⁶ & SAMINA N SHAKEEL^1,3,*

¹Department of Biochemistry Faculty of Biological Sciences Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad Pakistan

²Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology University of Lahore Pakistan

³Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College Hanover NH USA

⁴Genomic Lab, Main Saidpur Road, Rawalpindi, Pakistan

⁵Department of Higher Education, Government Girls Degree College Serai Naurang (Lakki Marwat), Peshawar, Pakistan

⁶University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan

Received: 20 November 2021/Accepted: 28 February 2022

Abstract

Rising oil prices and climate change have resulted in more emphasis on research into renewable biofuels. In this study, different water samples were collected from local vicinities for the isolation of local isolates of microalgae to check their potential towards the production of biofuel by the addition of different chemical substrates. Five different concentrations of ascorbic acid and iron (III) chloride (0, 1, 2.5, 5 & 10 µM) are used as substrates. Microscopic analysis evaluated that samples belong to genus Chlorella and further molecular identification showed that the samples are C. sorokiniana. Among all the concentrations of ascorbic acid 2.5 µM is most effective against the C. sorokiniana strain 1 (Safari Wildlife Park, Lahore) and C. sorokiniana strain 2 (Bahria Town, Lahore) while C. sorokiniana Strain 3 (SukhChane Society, Lahore) responded at 2.5 & 5 µM in term of biomass production. FeCl₃ (2.5 µM) is effective against C. sorokiniana strain 1 while the growth of C. sorokiniana strain 2 and C. sorokiniana Strain 3 is inhibited. Lipid content analysis showed that only the C. sorokiniana strain 1 shows effective results at 1 & 2.5 µM of ascorbic acid and FeCl₃, respectively. Those concentrations which give the significant results of lipid production were preceded for fatty acid profiling. Results indicate that the C. sorokiniana strain 1 can be considered as a source of alpha-linolenic acid; the basic constituent of biofuel production. In this study, it is concluded that C. sorokiniana strain 1 is useful for the production of environment friendly biofuel.

Keywords: Ascorbic acid; fatty acids; free fatty acids; gas chromatography mass spectrophotometry

Abstrak

Kenaikan harga minyak dan perubahan iklim telah menyebabkan penyelidikan berkaitan biobahan api yang boleh diperbaharui diberi lebih perhatian. Dalam kajian ini, sampel air yang berbeza telah dikumpul daripada kawasan sekitar untuk pengasingan mikroalga dan memeriksa potensinya terhadap pengeluaran bahan api biologi dengan penambahan substrat kimia yang berbeza. Lima kepekatan berbeza asid askorbik dan besi (III) klorida (0, 1, 2.5, 5 & 10 µM) digunakan sebagai substrat. Analisis mikroskopik menilai bahawa sampel tergolong dalam genus Chlorella dan pengecaman molekul selanjutnya mendedahkan bahawa sampel tersebut adalah C. sorokiniana. Antara semua kepekatan asid askorbik 2.5 µM adalah paling berkesan terhadap C. sorokiniana strain 1 (Safari Wildlife Park, Lahore) dan C. sorokiniana strain 2 (Bahria Town, Lahore) manakala C. sorokiniana Strain 3 (SukhChane Society, Lahore) bertindak balas pada 2.5 & 5 µM daripada pengeluaran biojisim. FeCl₃ (2.5 µM) berkesan terhadap C. sorokiniana strain 1 manakala pertumbuhan C. sorokiniana strain 2 dan C. sorokiniana Strain 3 dihalang. Analisis kandungan lipid mendedahkan bahawa hanya C. sorokiniana strain 1 menunjukkan hasil yang berkesan masing-masing pada 1 & 2.5 µM asid askorbik dan FeCl₃. Kepekatan yang memberikan hasil ketara penghasilan lipid telah didahulukan untuk pemprofilan asid lemak. Keputusan menunjukkan bahawa C. sorokiniana strain 1 boleh dianggap sebagai sumber asid alfa-linolenik; juzuk asas pengeluaran bahan api biologi. Dalam kajian ini, disimpulkan bahawa C. sorokiniana strain 1 berguna untuk pengeluaran bahan api biologi mesra alam.

Kata kunci: Asid askorbik; asid lemak; asid lemak bebas; kromatografi gas spektrofotometri jisim

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^*Corresponding author; email: snq28@yahoo.com