Abstract
Microalgae appear as a sustainable source of biomass with valuable nutritional qualities. Under the current regulations, very few biomasses of eukaryotic microalgae species are allowed for human food and most belong to the Chlorella genus. Chlorella biomass can contain lipids of interest such as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) ω3 and ω6. Yet, the amount of PUFA as well as the ω6/ω3 ratio can vary significantly depending on the species considered as well as the trophic mode used for cultivation (photo-autotrophy, mixotrophy or heterotrophy). While the lipid content of in-lab produced Chlorella has been extensively studied, the variability of commercial biomass composition is barely described yet (Canelli et al., 2020). Here we characterized the lipid classes (TAG: triacyclglycerols; FFA: free fatty acids; MGDG: monogalactosyldiacylglycerols; DGDG: digalactosyldiacylglycerols; PE: phosphatidylethanolamines; PC: phosphatidylcholines; SQDG: sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerols ) and fatty acid profiles of dried commercial biomasses of different Chlorella spp. as well as those of in lab-produced Chlorella sorokiniana, grown in photo-autotrophic and mixotrophic conditions (Barouh, et al. 2024).