The present invention relates to polynucleotides from Ostreococcus lucimarinus which code for desaturases and elongases and which can be employed for the recombinant production of polyunsaturated fatty acids. The invention furthermore relates to vectors, host cells and transgenic nonhuman organisms which comprise the polynucleotides, and to the polypeptides encoded by the polynucleotides. Finally, the invention also relates to production processes for the polyunsaturated fatty acids and for oil, lipid and fatty acid compositions.

This disclosure relates to microbial technology, and more particularly to a Schizochytrium strain and a use thereof, a microbial oil containing DHA at an Sn-2 position, and a preparation and uses thereof. Sn-2 fatty acids of a triglyceride in the microbial oil contain 23% or more by weight of DHA. The microbial oil is prepared by fermentation using a Schizochytrium strain, where the Schizochytrium strain is Schizochytrium sp. with an accession number of GDMCC No. 60733.

Provided herein are methods of recovering oil from microorganisms. The methods are useful, for example, in obtaining nutritional oils and/or lipid biofuels. The methods of recovering oil described herein include contacting a population of microorganisms with one or more enzymes under conditions that cause disruption of the microorganisms, concentrating the disrupted microorganisms, and extracting lipids from the disrupted microorganisms at high temperature in the presence of a salt and in the absence of solvent.

A method for producing a microbial oil includes the steps of: genetically modifying a labyrinthulid by disrupting and/or silencing a gene, or by transforming another gene in addition to the disruption and/or gene silencing of the gene; culturing the labyrinthulid, such that a fatty acid composition accumulated in the labyrinthulid comprises an increased EPA content; and collecting the microbial oil having the increased EPA content from the labyrinthulid. The increased EPA content is not less than 3.3% of a total fatty acid composition.

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.

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.

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.

Provided herein are microbial oils and methods of making and using microbial oils with high levels of omega-3 fatty acids. Specifically, provided is a microbial oil comprising at least 85% total fatty acids, wherein the total fatty acids comprise at least 50% DHA. Also provided is a method of making a biomass comprising culturing an oil-producing microorganism in a culture medium comprising a fatty acid synthesis inhibitor, wherein the biomass comprises at least 500 mg/g oil.

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.