Dunaliella salina

Pink-colored Dunaliella salina within sea salt.

Dunaliella salina is a type of halophile pink micro-algae especially found in sea salt fields. Known for its anti-oxidant activity because of its ability to create large amount of carotenoids, it is used in cosmetics and dietary supplements. Few organisms can survive in such highly saline conditions as salt evaporation ponds. To survive, these organisms have high concentrations of β-carotene to protect against the intense light and high concentrations of glycerol to provide protection against osmotic pressure. This offers an opportunity for commercial biological production of these substances.

From a first pilot plant for Dunaliella cultivation for β-carotene production established in the USSR in 1966, the commercial cultivation of Dunaliella for the production of β-carotene throughout the world is now one of the success stories of halophile biotechnology. Different technologies are used, from low-tech extensive cultivation in lagoons to intensive cultivation at high cell densities under carefully controlled conditions.

Attempts have been made to exploit the high concentrations of glycerol accumulated by Dunaliella as the basis for the commercial production of this compound. Although technically the production of glycerol from Dunaliella was shown to be possible, economic feasibility is low and no biotechnological operation presently (July 2005) exists that exploits the alga for glycerol production.

References

2. Aharon Oren 2005 A hundred years of Dunaliella research: 1905–2005 Saline Systems 1(2). Published online 2005 July 4. doi: 10.1186/1746-1448-1-2.

See also

• Seaweed

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