Enhancement of lipid production of Chlorella sp. 042 by mutagenesis

In this study, the UV mutagenesis was performed to enhance lipid productivity in Chlorella sp. 042 isolated from East Kalimantan. One hundred colonies were screened with a method based on Nile Red fluorescence. Growth, biomass, and lipid parameters of the selected mutants (M7 and M22) were grown in a batch system of 400 mL AF6 medium and analyzed in detail. The result showed that the lipid content of M7 and M22 were higher than wild type (30.82%), 35.15%, and 43.85%, respectively. The M22 slightly had higher carbohydrate and protein content than wild type and M7. The overall result indicates that the treatment of UV mutagenesis to Chlorella sp. 042 can increase the total lipid production and other biomass content. The mutant could consecutively be used as the lipid feedstock for algal oil production.