Title: Selenium nanoparticles impact on growth and biochemical composition of marine microalga Dunaliella tertiolecta

Biography:

Rozelindra Coz-Rakovac, DVM, MSc, PhD is a head of the Laboratory for Aquaculture Biotechnoloy within the RuÄ‘er Bošković Institute in Zagreb, Croatia. She is also a head of the Centre of Excellence for Marine Bioprospecting-BioProCro within the same institute. She is a senior scientist and holder of a number of awards and research projects.

Abstract

The study investigated the impact of several concentrations of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) on growth performance and biochemical properties of marine microalgae Dunaliella tertiolecta. It is known that selenium (Se) effects may range from toxic to essentially micronutritive, both within a narrow concentration span. Thus, SeNPs might act as sources of Se, particularly due to being less toxic than sodium selenite (Na₂SeO₃). We have proved that their lower doses can increase algal biomass without any toxic cellular effect. The concentrations of chlorophyll A, total lipid and protein content, as well as composition of fatty and amino acids were determined in Dunaliella tertiolecta cultured under a wide range of different SeNPs concentrations for up to 14 days. Lower SeNPs not only positively impacted the biomass increase, but also chlorophyll a concentrations, as opposed to higher SeNPs concentrations. Total protein content and productivity were similar at all tested SeNPs concentrations, while fatty acids had higher content of unsaturated fatty acids in all tested samples. The results provide an insight into the effects of SeNPs on Dunaliella tertiolecta, which may lead to a set of various novel biotechnological applications.