Characterization of a Chlorophyta microalga isolated from a microbial mat in Salar de Atacama (northern Chile) as a potential source of compounds for biotechnological applications

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SUMMARY Microalgae are an important source of unsaturated fatty acids, phospholipids, glycolipids, and carotenes, which are useful compounds for the food and pharmaceutical industries. The Atacama Desert of northern Chile is one of the driest deserts on Earth and, as such, it is a great natural laboratory in which to study new microorganisms adapted to extreme environments. A microalgal strain, referred to here asCH03, was isolated from a microbial mat in salt flat water in Salar de Atacama. Genetic analysis of the 18S ribosomalRNAgene showed that the strain had homology with other known sequences of the speciesChlorella sorokiniana. Our results revealed the adaptability of this microalga to freshwater medium under laboratory conditions, despite coming from an extremely high‐salinity environment. The fatty acid profile ofCH03(A) newly isolated in Bold's basal medium differed from that ofCH03(B) culturedin vitroin modified F/2 medium and from another five strains ofC. sorokinianaand three strains ofChlorella vulgarisin that it had a high stearic acid content and had no polyunsaturated fatty acids. The major biochemical components observed in this strain were proteins (64.3–73.6%) and lipids (26.6–32.6%). This study suggests that the strainCH03 could be a protein source and that this oleaginous microalga is easy to growin vitroas a biological model for future studies.