Fatty Acids Profile of Spirulina platensis Grown under Different Temperatures and Nitrogen Concentrations

Abstract

The influence of culture temperature and the concentration of sodium nitrate (NaNO3) on the gas-chromatographic profile of the fatty acids of the filamentous cyanobacterium Spirulina platensis was evaluated. We found that temperature was the most important factor and that the greatest amount of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) was obtained at 30°C, the fatty acid profile of the Spirulina cultivated showing that (in order of abundance) palmitic, linolenic and linoleic acids were most prevalent.