Molecular Identification of Native Strain of Thraustochytrium 71-1 and Qualitative and Quantitative Determination of Produced Total Oil and its Squalene

Squalene is a polyunsaturated hydrocarbon with six double bonds. Squalene has many applications in biofuel, cosmetic, medical and pharmaceutical industries. The common source of Squalene is shark liver oil that its consumption is limited. Thraustochytrium a genus of unicellular marine protist belong to the thraustochytrids family which is capable of producing high Squalene. In this study, the qualitative and quantitative production of Squalene, oil and biomass was investigated in the native strain of Thraustochytrium 71-1 by TLC and HPLC. Molecular characterization of this strain was analyzed by 18srDNA gene analysis. Results showed that the strain 71-1 belongs to the family of Thraustochytrids and the genus of Thraustochytrium. The results showed that the strain of Thraustochytrium 71-1 produced 4.12 and 1.25 gr/L, biomass and oil, respectively. Also, Squalene was produced as 74.6 mg/L in 4 days of incubation in GYP medium.
Discussion and In this research, the production of Squalene has been reported in the strain of the thraustochytrium marine for the first time in the Middle East. It is hoped that in future, the production of this substance could be increased by optimizing the culture medium and culture conditions of this strain to produce Squalene.