2026년 10월 Enhanced Carotenoid and Fatty Acid Biosynthesis through Mixotrophic Cultivation of the Freshwater Microalga Chlamydomonas debaryana KGH 1-4

Microalgae are valuable biological resources capable of producing bioactive compounds essential for cellular metabolism. This study aimed to determine optimal culture conditions for carotenoid and fatty acid production by the freshwater microalga Chlamydomonas debaryana KGH 1-4 under autotrophic, mixotrophic, and heterotrophic modes. Experimental analysis conducted using a Photobiobox identified glucose as a suitable organic carbon source for microalgal growth. Additionally, the optimal glucose concentration and culture temperature were determined to be 30 g/L and 35°C, respectively. Under mixotrophic conditions applying these parameters, a biomass concentration 2.1 times higher than that of the autotrophic culture was obtained, and the carotenoid content increased 2.9-fold compared to the heterotrophic culture. Although the fatty acid content was lower than that of the heterotrophic culture, the highest omega-series fatty acid composition (23.4 mg/g) was obtained among the three culture conditions. These findings demonstrate that Chlamydomonas debaryana KGH 1-4 is a promising biological resource for the efficient production of valuable bioactive compounds and provide fundamental data for the development of large-scale production processes for carotenoids and fatty acids.