Industrial production of dihomo‐γ‐linolenic acid by a Δ5 desaturase‐defective mutant of Mortierella alpina 1S‐4 Fungus

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Dihomo‐γ‐linolenic acid (DGLA)‐containing oil (triacylglycerol) was produced by the fungus Mortierella alpina S14, which is a Δ5 desaturase‐defective mutant of the arachidonic acid‐producing strain 1S‐4. Using soy flour as the nitrogen source, S14 produced 8.1 g DGLA/L of culture medium in a 50‐L jar fermenter. Shifting the cultivation temperature from 26 to 28°C resulted in reduction of the percentage of DGLA in total fatty acids. Under optimal conditions in a 10‐kL industrial fermenter, DGLA production reached 7.0 g/L (percentage of DGLA, 43.9%) at day 12 of cultivation. The other fatty acids were palmitic (18.2%), stearic (7.9%), oleic (7.5%), linoleic (4.4%), γ‐linolenic (3.2%), arachidonic (0.4%), and lignoceric (7.7%) acids.