%0 Journal Article 
%A Hernanz Torrijos, María
%A Bartual Magro, Ana
%A Ortega Agüera, María Jesús
%T Modulation of PUFA and PUA production in coastal diatoms by varying light and phosphate availability
%D 2025
%@ 2211-9264
%U http://hdl.handle.net/10498/37602
%X As climate change intensifies and resource sustainability becomes crucial, diatoms represent a promising source
of bioactive compounds. Among them, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) stand out for their essential biological
roles and high value in fields such as medicine, aquaculture and bioenergy. However, in several diatom species,
PUFA productivity can be reduced due to their enzymatic conversion into polyunsaturated aldehydes (PUA),
compromising their biotechnological potential. To evaluate the true potential of PUA-producing diatoms as PUFA
sources, we introduced a transformation ratio metric that estimates the proportion of PUFA availability after PUA
production. This metric was applied to three coastal diatoms (Thalassiosira minima, Skeletonema pseudocostatum,
and Cyclotella cryptica) cultured under different phosphate availability and light conditions. A selection frame-
work identified T. minima as unsuitable due to high PUA production relative to PUFA levels. S. pseudocostatum
and C. cryptica were further analyzed, showing different optimal culture conditions. In S. pseudocostatum, high
phosphate and cool white light conditions reduced PUA production, while warm light and continuous photo-
periods increased cell stress and PUA production, raising the transformation ratio to the maximum detected
(21.93 ± 5.10 %). In contrast, C. cryptica showed stable PUA production across treatments and enhanced PUFA
availability under low phosphate and cool light. Under these conditions, PUFA concentration reached 1181.81 ±
209.11 fmol cell 1, the highest among all species and condition tested. This study provides a biotechnological
screening criterion for PUA-producing diatom optimizing culture conditions
%K Polyunsaturated fatty acids
%K Polyunsaturated aldehydes
%K Phosphate availability
%K Light quality
%K Biotechnological optimization
%K Culture condition
%~ Universidad de Cádiz