Winget Biotechnology is in the business of developing health and food products from algae. The product described in this proposal is eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), an essential fatty acid with prophylactic applications to cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases. Among its clinical benefits is the inhibition of thrombogenesis. The proposed research is to identify optimum conditions for producing high purity EPA from aquaculture of microalgae in a natural food form. The project will use a 3- dimentional factorial design to assess the effects of environmental parameters on algae growth and EPA production as a moiety of certain advantageous lipids. This experimentation will be conducted on approximately 10 species of marine microalgae. Fatty acid synthesis in microalgae is greatly affected by these parameters. Outside of genetic engineering, these are the most potent aspects of technology development for the production of a farmed source of EPA. The targeted lipids are not available in sufficient quantities in fish oil, which is the only source of EPA now on the market, and present considerable organoleptic and product purity advantages to consumers and to the research community conducting clinical trials on EPA.
