Abstract
BACKGROUND: Green microalgae represent a renewable natural source of vitamin E. Its most bioactive form is the naturally occurring RRR-α-tocopherol which is biosynthesized in photosynthetic organisms as a single stereoisomer. It is noteworthy that the natural and synthetic α-tocopherols are different biomolecular entities. This article focuses on RRR-α-tocopherol production in Stichococcus bacillaris strain siva2011 biomass in a bioreactor culture with methyl jasmonate (MeJa) elicitor. Additionally, a nonlinear mathematical model was used to quantitatively scale-up and predict the biomass production in a 20 L balloon bioreactor with dual variables such as time and volume. RESULTS: Approximately 0.6 mg/g dry weight (DW) of RRR-α-tocopherol was enhanced in S. bacillaris strain siva2011 biomass with the MeJa 50 μL/L for 24 hrs elicitations when compared to the control. The R2 value from the nonlinear model was enhanced up to 95% when compared to the linear model which significantly improved the accuracy for estimating S. bacillaris strain siva2011 biomass production in a balloon bioreactor. CONCLUSIONS: S. bacillaris strain siva2011 is a new green microalga which biosynthesizes significant amounts of RRR-α-tocopherol. Systematically validated dual variable empirical data should provide key insights to multivariable or fourth order modeling for algal biomass scale-up. This bioprocess engineering should provide valuable information for industrial production of RRR-α-tocopherol from green cells.