Grant: Engage Grants Program

We aim to identify and provide marine fungal isolates with potential for EPA production to Mara. We will screen marine fungi for production of EPA and optimize culture growth conditions to commercialize EPA production and allow Mara to produce a high-quality, local product to consumers. Environmental samples will be collected and incubated in the lab. Fungal cultures will be isolated from samples and DNA barcoded using the ITS rDNA gene region. Isolates will be preserved and those of interest for EPA production will be provided to Mara. Lipid composition will be determined using lipid extraction methods and gas chromatography Growth conditions for isolates that produce significant levels of EPA will be determined via testing of different variables such as growth times, temperatures, and media and additional screening of lipid composition. No fungi from Atlantic Canada have been screened for potential EPA production. Alternative methods to produce EPA is a rapidly expanding area of research due to the increased drawbacks of harvesting fish oils. Significant developments have been made in the use of marine fungi in EPA production in the past 15 years (e.g. the commercialisation of Y. lipolytica in 2005) and the research remains exploratory in nature. Production of EPA by marine eukaryotes is an underexplored field, and there is significant opportunity for discovery and innovation through the proposed research.