The paper, “Lipid Analysis of Neochloris Oleoabundans by Liquid State NMR,” coauthored by Colin M. Beal, Michael E. Webber, Rodney S. Ruoff, and Robert E. Hebner, and published in Biotechnology and Bioengineering, volume 106, issue 4, pp. 573-583, discusses an evaluation of liquid state NMR as a tool for analyzing the lipid composition of algal cultures used for biodiesel production. To demonstrate the viability of this approach, 13C NMR was used to analyze the lipid composition of intact cells of the algal species, Neochloris oleoabundans (UTEX #1185). Two cultures were used in the study. One culture was “healthy” and grown in conventional media, while the other culture was “nitrogen-starved,” having been grown in media that lacked nitrate. Triglyceride was determined to be present in both cultures by comparing the algal NMR spectra with published chemical shifts for a wide range of lipids and with a spectrum obtained from a triglyceride standard (glyceryl trioleate).

The paper, “Lipid Analysis of Neochloris Oleoabundans by Liquid State NMR,” coauthored by Colin M. Beal, Michael E. Webber, Rodney S. Ruoff, and Robert E. Hebner” and published in Biotechnology and Bioengineering, volume 106, issue 4, pp. 573-583, discusses an evaluation of liquid state NMR as a tool for analyzing the lipid composition of algal cultures used for biodiesel production. To demonstrate the viability of this approach, 13C NMR was used to analyze the lipid composition of intact cells of the algal

species, Neochloris oleoabundans (UTEX #1185).Two cultures were used in the study. One culture was “healthy” and grown in conventional media, while the other culture was “nitrogen-starved,” having been grown in media that lacked nitrate. Triglyceride was determined to be present in both cultures by comparing the algal NMR spectra with published chemical shifts for a wide range of lipids and with a spectrum obtained from a triglyceride standard (glyceryl trioleate).

The peak widths of the 13C NMR algal spectra (a nitrogen-starved culture’s spectrum is shown) (top) are larger than those in the glyceryl trioleate spectrum (bottom). These spectra were processed with 1 Hz line broadening and demonstrate the effect of inhomogeneous field line broadening on the algal spectra (note: vertical scales vary).

For more information please contact Dr. Robert Hebner