ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Mar. Sci.
Sec. Marine Biotechnology and Bioproducts
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmars.2025.1603109
This article is part of the Research TopicMarine Microalgal-Derived Polysaccharides: from the Sources to Potential ApplicationsView all 5 articles
Effect of nitrogen concentration on the yield and biochemical characteristics of exopolysaccharide of Porphyridium purpureum
Provisionally accepted
- 1Institute of Hydrobiology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
- 2CAS Key Laboratory of Renewable Energy, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New and Renewable Energy Research and Development, Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- 3State Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- 4Agro-Tech Extension Center of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou, China
- 5South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Guangzhou, China
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Exopolysaccharides (EPS) of Porphyridium purpureum have attracted much attention in biotechnology due to their unique physicochemical properties and bioactivities. Nitrogen is a critical environmental factor affecting microalgal metabolism, but its effect on the structural characteristics of EPS is not widely reported. This study aimed to investigate the effects of nitrogen concentrations on EPS production and the structural properties of P. purpureum by determining the yield, substituents proportions and molecular weight of EPS. The results showed that nitrogen concentrations of 9.0 mM and 18.0 mM optimized cell division, while photosynthetic efficiency decreased as nitrogen concentration decreased. Nitrogen concentration was positively correlated with total EPS yield, with the highest yield (663.5 mg L -1 ) observed at 54.0 mM. Furthermore, the proportions of carbohydrates, proteins and uronic acid in EPS increased with rising nitrogen concentrations. The monosaccharide composition (xylose, glucose and galactose) and the molecular weight of EPS (ranging from 6.6 to 8.3 × 10 6 Da) were also influenced by nitrogen concentration. In conclusion, nitrogen concentration significantly influences the synthesis and biochemical characteristics of EPS in P. purpureum, offering new insights for structural modifications and biotechnological applications of EPS.
Keywords: Porphyridium, Nitrogen, photosynthetic efficiency, exopolysaccharides, Biochemical composition
Received: 31 Mar 2025; Accepted: 05 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Li, Xu, Chen, Wenzhou, Wu, Gan, Li and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Aifen Li, Institute of Hydrobiology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
Tao Li, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Guangzhou, China
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