PROCESS FOR PRODUCTION OF ARACHIDONIC-ACID CONCENTRATE BY A STRAIN OFMORTIERELLA-ALPINA

Various Mortierella alpina fungi were screened for their capacities to produce arachidonic acid. A strain of M. alpina was found to show the highest productivity. Arachidonic acid content of biomass and overall yield per litre of culture was highest in soya flour supplemented med ium which produced dispersed mycelium. When the glucose concentration in the medium was varied from 30 to 100 g/L, biomass, lipid, arachidon ic acid content of biomass and arachidonic acid yield increased with i ncreasing glucose concentration. Several natural oils, when added to t he growth medium, stimulated arachidonic acid production. After fermen tation in a 20-L fermenter under optimal culture conditions, the arach idonic acid yield was 5.3 g/L, representing 34.2% w/w of total fatty a cids and 13.7% w/w of biomass. An extract containing 72.5% w/w arachid onic acid was prepared from the recovered mycelium.