Evaluation of Mixotrophic Cultivation of <em>Euglena gracilis</em> for Lipid Synthesis and FAME Characterization towards Biodiesel Application

Abstract

The lipid enhancement of <em>Euglena gracilis</em> has been investigated in mixotrophic condition by altering the concentration of technical glycerol. The lipid yield (45.15%) was found more than three times higher in contrast to photoautotrophic cultivation (11.28%). The role of essential abiotic factors, light intensity (30, 60.5, 100, 150 μmol m^-2 s^-1) and photoperiod (24:0, 16:8, 8:16, 0:24 Light: dark) were also investigated. Fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) were synthesized and analysed through GC-MS. It possesses appropriate quantities of saturated fatty acids (SFA) and unsaturated fatty acids (UFA), in accordance with biodiesel standards. Henceforth, our present study focuses the improved lipid synthesis from <em>E. gracilis</em> for biodiesel application.