Lipo_Algae: Mobilisation of polyunsaturated lipids from PNBA microalgae using enzyme extracts from Mugil cephalus

Date: 2026
Duration: 3 months
Home laboratory: Molecular Chemistry and Environment Unit (UCME), Nouakchott, Mauritania
Host laboratory: Bioenergy and Protein Engineering Laboratory (BIP), UMR 7281, CNRS-Aix Marseille University, France

The rich fishery resources of West Africa, protected by the Banc d’Arguin National Park, are sustained by the high planktonic primary productivity of micro- and macroalgae, which produce polar lipids, particularly galactolipids (MGDG and DGDG). These constitute a major source of polyunsaturated fatty acids such as EPA and DHA. The present incoming mobility project at the BIP (Bioenergetics and Protein Engineering Laboratory, Aix-Marseille University) aims to further deepen the characterization of lipases from the herbivorous fish Yellow Mullet. A recombinant lipase will be purified, and its catalytic activity in the hydrolysis of polyunsaturated polar lipids derived from microalgae will be determined. The relevance of exploiting the lipolytic activity of mullet viscera to produce free fatty acids through green biocatalysis will be evaluated as part of a sustainable bioeconomy approach.