The unicellular green microalga Dunaliella salina is well known for being one of the best natural sources of β-carotene, a potent antioxidant and essential precursor to vitamin A. β-carotene is vital for human health because it improves immune system performance, supports vision, and lowers the risk of a number of chronic illnesses, including some forms of cancer. So far, a number of methods to increase β-carotene production in D. salina, including genetic engineering, applying abiotic stressors, plant growth regulators, and using metal nanoparticles. In this study, we examined the synergistic effects of plant growth regulators on the production of β-carotene and biomass accumulation in D. salina during various growth phases. Among the phytohormones examined, methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and indole acetic acid (IAA) were discovered to have important physiological functions in controlling the microalga's growth and metabolism. We maximized productivity by optimizing these phytohormone concentrations using response surface methodology (RSM) with a central composite design (CCD). Our findings showed that when applied during the combination of 3 mg L-1 IAA implemented at non carotenogenic phase (the 0th day of cultivation), and 200 μM MeJA implemented on carotenogenic phase (20th day of the cultivation) significantly increased growth and carotenoid accumulation, yielding 5.2 g/L of biomass and a 2027.96 μg of β-carotene content for every 100 mg of dry cell weight.
Velmurugan et al. (Tue,) studied this question.