Disclosed is a method for producing algae-derived polyunsaturated fatty acids, comprising the steps of a) contacting dry algae with ethanol; b) removing ethanol to obtain crude oil; c) subjecting the crude oil to a transesterification reaction with a lower alcohol to generate fatty acid alkyl esters; d) extracting the fatty acid alkyl esters to result in a phase containing fatty acid alkyl esters; e) collecting the phase containing fatty acid alkyl esters; and f) contacting the collected phase with silica gel. Also disclosed is a method for effectively removing impurities, including chlorophyll, fucoxanthin and beta-carotene, from crude algal fatty acid alkyl esters, comprising contacting the crude algal fatty acid alkyl esters with silica gel in hexane.

The invention is directed to a culture medium for Haematococcus that contains combustion gases like carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and oxides of nitrogen or sulfur and which fixes the carbon, nitrogen or sulfur in these combustion gases into biomass and to methods providing superior biomass yields using this culture medium to culture select species of Haematococcus such as Haematococcus sp. KAU-01.

The present invention provides a method of producing a composition containing docosahexaenoic acid as a constituent fatty acid of glycerides, comprising hydrolyzing a feedstock oil containing glycerides comprising docosahexaenoic acid as a constituent fatty acid by action of a first lipase and a second lipase, thereby increasing the proportion of docosahexaenoic acid in glyceride fractions, wherein the first lipase is at least one lipase selected from the group consisting of a lipase derived from a microorganism of the genus Thermomyces, a lipase derived from a microorganism of the genus Pseudomonas, a lipase derived from a microorganism of the genus Burkholderia, and a lipase derived from a microorganism of the genus Alcaligenes, and wherein the second lipase is a partial glyceride lipase.

A method of producing lipids, containing the steps of: culturing a transformant into which a gene encoding at least one of the proteins selected from the group consisting of the following proteins (A) to (C) is introduced; and producing fatty acids or lipids containing the same as components:
(A) A protein consisting of the amino acid sequence of the 23.sup.rd to 146.sup.th amino acids set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1;
(B) A protein consisting of an amino acid sequence having 70% or more identity with the amino acid sequence of the protein (A), and having acyl carrier protein activity; and
(C) A protein containing the amino acid sequence of the protein (A) or (B), and having acyl carrier protein activity.

The present invention is directed to isolated microorganisms as well as strains and mutants thereof, biomasses, microbial oils, compositions, and cultures; methods of producing the microbial oils, biomasses, and mutants; and methods of using the isolated microorganisms, biomasses, and microbial oils.

The present invention discloses a LC-PUFA biomass composition which has reduced self-heating propensity and thus requires a lessened packing requirement for shipment. The invention also discloses methods for making such biomass composition.

An improved pasteurisation protocol for pasteurising microbial cells is disclosed. The protocol has three stages, a first heating stage, a second plateau stage at which the cells are held at a (maximum and) constant temperature, and a third cooling stage. Both the heating and the cooling stages are rapid, with the temperature of the cells passing through 40 to 80° C. in no more than 30 minutes in the heating stage. The heating rate is at least 0.5° C./minute and during cooling is at least −0.5° C./minute. The plateau maximum temperature is from 70 to 85° C. By plotting the pasteurisation protocol on a time (t, minutes) versus temperature (T, ° C.) graph, one obtains a trapezium having an area less than 13,000° C. minute. Not only does this result in a smaller energy input (and so a reduction in costs), but a better quality (and less oxidised) oil results having a peroxide value (POV) of less than 1.5 and an anisidine value (AnV) of less than 1.0.

The disclosure pertains to a method for the production of triacylglycerides (TAGs or Triacylglyerols) and fatty acids by the recombinant expression of a Δ11 fatty acid desaturase in protists.

The present invention provides a method of producing a composition containing docosahexaenoic acid as a constituent fatty acid of glycerides. The method includes hydrolyzing a feedstock oil containing glycerides, the glycerides including docosahexaenoic acid as a constituent fatty acid, by action of a first lipase and a second lipase, to increase the proportion of docosahexaenoic acid in glyceride fractions. The first lipase is at least one lipase selected from the group consisting of a lipase obtained from a microorganism of the genus Thermomyces, a lipase obtained from a microorganism of the genus Pseudomonas, a lipase obtained from a microorganism of the genus Burkholderia, and a lipase obtained from a microorganism of the genus Alcaligenes. The second lipase is a partial glyceride lipase.

The present invention provides a method of producing a composition containing docosahexaenoic acid as a constituent fatty acid of glycerides. The method includes hydrolyzing a feedstock oil containing glycerides, the glycerides including docosahexaenoic acid as a constituent fatty acid, by action of a first lipase and a second lipase, to increase the proportion of docosahexaenoic acid in glyceride fractions. The first lipase is at least one lipase selected from the group consisting of a lipase obtained from a microorganism of the genus Thermomyces, a lipase obtained from a microorganism of the genus Pseudomonas, a lipase obtained from a microorganism of the genus Burkholderia, and a lipase obtained from a microorganism of the genus Alcaligenes. The second lipase is a partial glyceride lipase.