Impact of Plant Oil Supplementation on Lipid Production and Fatty Acid Composition in Cunninghamella elegans TISTR 3370

Abstract

The Cunninghamella genus has been utilized for the production of PUFA-rich lipids. Therefore, we investigate the impact of plant oil supplementation in the culture medium (soybean oil, rice bran oil, and perilla oil), selected based on their different fatty acid predominant, on lipid production and fatty acid composition in C. elegans (TISTR 3370). All oils significantly boosted fungal growth, each influencing distinct patterns of lipid accumulation within the cells. The cells exhibited distinct patterns of lipid accumulation, forming intracellular lipid bodies, influenced by the different oils. Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) were found to be the most abundant, followed by polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and saturated fatty acids (SFAs) in the fungal lipid cultures. Oleic acid was identified as the primary MUFA, while palmitic acid was the predominant SFA in perilla oil supplements. Remarkably, perilla oil supplement provided the highest total lipid production with arachidonic acid being exclusively detected. The percentage of PUFAs ranged from 12% in the control to 33% in soybean oil, 32% in rice bran oil, and 61% in perilla oil supplements. These findings offer valuable opportunities for advancing biotechnological applications in lipid production and customization, with implications for food and nutrition as well as pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.

Keywords: fungi; perilla oil; rice bran oil; soybean oil; unsaturated fatty acids.

Figure 1

Chromatograms of fatty acids using different substrates. (A) Soybean oil, (B) rice bran oil and (C) perilla oil.

Figure 2

Transmission electron micrograph of C. elegans cells grown in soybean oil rice bran oil and perilla oil medium. TEM micrographs reveal lipids (dark spot) as an intracellular accumulation of lipid bodies. The characteristics of normal cells before the shift to soybean and rice bran oil-containing medium (A), cell grown in soybean oil at day 2 (B) and day 8 (C), cell grown in rice bran oil at day 2 (D) and day 8 (E) and cell grown in perilla oil at day 2 (F) and day 8 (G). LB, lipid-body; LPB, lipid-prebody; CP, cytoplasm; CW, cell wall; CM, cytoplasm membrane; app, appendages. Scale bar (A,B,E) = 2 μm, (C,D) = 1 μm and (F,G) 0.5 μm.