Co-cultures of Coccomyxa subellipsoidea and Psuedomonas denitrificans increases lipid accumulation independent of nutrient conditions

Coccomyxa subellipsoidea, a single -cell, eukaryotic green algae thriving in temperate climates, is capable of lipid accumulation in excess of 25 % (dry weight). At the front of agroeconomic challenges facing algae for the production of lipids in bioproduct development is how to effectively initiate lipid accumulation and harvesting with economically viable production costs. Co -culturing of the denitrifying bacteria Pseudomonas denitrificans with C. subellipsoidea increased total algal lipids levels, particularly neutral lipids when compared to C. subellipsoidea grown alone in BBM. Total lipid increased nearly two -fold to 16 % (dry weight); triacylglycerol (TAG) increased to 12.5 %. These findings suggest bacterial signaling induced lipid accumulation under nutrient rich condition coincident with increased biomass generation, especially in suboptimal condition using raw wastewater for co -cultures. These findings support a novel signaling mechanism originating from P. denitrificans that results in lipid accumulation in C. subellipsoidea and highlights an underexplored opportunity for an increased agroeconomic viability.