초록
<P><B>Highlights</B></P><P>► Cane molasses can be transformed by <I>Chlorella</I> to oils and astaxanthin. ► Molasses with metal removal supported better growth than glucose. ► Crude molasses could be directly used by optimizing culture conditions. ► Molasses up-regulated key enzymes involved in oil and astaxanthin biosynthesis. ► Typing oils to astaxanthin enables profitable biodiesel from algae.</P> <P><B>Abstract</B></P><P>The aim of this study is to evaluate the industrial waste cane molasses as a carbon source for cell growth, lipid and astaxanthin production of <I>Chlorella zofingiensis</I>. Pretreated with cation exchange resin to remove the metal ions, cane molasses provided better productivities of biomass, lipid, and astaxanthin (1.55, 0.71gL<SUP>−1</SUP>day<SUP>−1</SUP> and 1.7mgL<SUP>−1</SUP>day<SUP>−1</SUP>, respectively) than glucose. Using a strategy of semi-continuous cultures coupled with feeding at a low concentration, molasses without pretreatment has the same effect as pretreated one on supporting the algal cell growth, lipid and astaxanthin production. The efficient metabolism of molasses triggered the up-regulation of genes involved in fatty acid and also astaxanthin biosynthesis, leading to the very high production of the two metabolites. This study highlights the possibility of using <I>C. zofingiensis</I> to deal with industrial wastes and to produce profitable biodiesel as well as the high-value astaxanthin.</P>