Enhancement of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and beta-carotene production in Schizochytrium sp. using symbiotic relationship with Rhodotorula glutinis

The aim of the study is to enhance the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and beta-carotene production yields in Schizochytrium sp. by forming a symbiotic relationship with yeast cell Rhodotorula glutinis. Schizochytrium sp. is one of the most studied microalgae for DHA production. On the other hand, Rhodotorula glutinis is well known as carotenoid-producing yeast. Here, mixed culture of Schizochytrium sp. and Rhodotorula glutinis was used, for the first time, to enhance the yields for DHA and beta-carotene. The cells were recovered, biomass, lipid content, DHA and beta-carotene yields were analyzed. GC-FID and HPLC were used for lipid content analysis and beta-carotene yield, respectively. Cell dry weight was increased ∼2.6 fold while DHA and β-carotene yields were increased ∼1.18 and ∼1.76 fold respectively in co-culture medium compared to Schizochytrium-monoculture. The results highlight the possibility of using heterotroph microalgae and yeast cells in co-culture environment to enhance DHA yield along with β-carotene production.