Fatty acids profile of Mastigocladus laminosus Cohn ex Kichner isolated from Algerian hot springs as a biofuel feedstock

Abstract

Cyanobacterial lipids are considered the feedstock of future sustainable biodiesel production, and extremophiles are usually preferred for biotechnological purposes to ease the cultivation problems. However, thermal springs have been scarcely investigated from a biotechnological perspective. Three strains of Mastigocladus laminosus Cohn ex Kichner were isolated from hot springs in Algeria, and their fatty acid profiles were studied. The content of saturated fatty acids ranged from 55.91% to 59.37%, while monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids ranged from 38.39% to 43.54% and 0.57%–2.25%, respectively. The main fatty acid was palmitic acid (16:0), with values within the 51.41–53.16% range, followed by oleic acid (18:1n- 9) with 24.47–36.60%, and minimal quantities of α-linolenic acid (18:3n-3, below 1%) and longchain fatty acids (>C18, below 0.5%). The potential biodiesel fuel properties matched the European biodiesel standards EN 14214 (European Norms) and the American standard ASTM D6751 (American Society for Testing and Materials), and were relatively better than other studied cyanobacteria and vegetable oils. The presented data show the interest of Mastigocladus and probably other thermophilic strains in different biotechnology fields, especially biofuel production.