Production of arachidonic acid by Mortierella alpina using wastes from potato chips industry

Aims: This research aimed to determine the potential use of wastes from potato chips industry as carbon source to develop an economical culture medium for production of biomass, lipids, and arachidonic acid by Mortierella alpina.

Methods and results: A synthetic culture medium was optimized using a Plackett-Burman and central composite rotatable design, and used as a base to evaluate and characterize the potential use of wastes from potato chips industry as carbon sources for production of biomass, lipids, and arachidonic acid by M. alpina. The waste was selected among other solid and liquid hydrolyzed residues/by-products, and local low-cost alternatives for nitrogen sources were also evaluated. After 6 days of fermentation, the biomass concentration reached 20 g.L^-1 with 40% of total lipids, and a 35% arachidonic acid content in the lipids fraction. Savings in production were calculated using a sensitivity analysis for the alternative culture medium in different scenarios.

Conclusions: This study showed a 7% savings in culture media expenses in the production of arachidonic acid-enriched biomass of M. alpina, compared to the conventional synthetic culture medium, when waste from the potato chips industry was used as an alternative source of carbon and macro/microelements, supplemented with a low-cost yeast extract alternative.

Significance and impact of the study: The demonstration of the use of potato chips wastes as a low-cost carbon source for the biomass, lipids, and arachidonic acid production, suggesting an eco-friendly alternative for the use of agri-food wastes for valuable metabolites production.

Keywords: Agri-Food Wastes; Arachidonic Acid Production; Low Cost; Medium Optimization.