Patent ID: 7674609

Claim:
A method for culturing Crypthecodinium cohnii , comprising culturing a strain of Crypthecodinium cohnii in a medium containing 60 g/L glucose or 8 g/L of acetate/acetic acid, 7.5 g/L yeast extracts, 25 g/L natural or artificial sea salts, and 1% (v/v) propionic acid, maintaining the culture at a pH of 6.5; maintaining the culture at a temperature of 27° C.; and aerating the culture at 1 volume of air per volume of culture per minute; wherein the propionic acid increases the amount of docosahexaenoic acid produced in the culture compared to a comparison culture in which the same strain of Crypthecodinium cohnii is grown in a medium containing 60 g/L glucose or 8 g/L sodium acetate, 7.5 g/L yeast extracts, and 25 g/L natural or artificial sea salts, wherein the comparison culture does not include propionic acid and is maintained at a pH of 6.5, a temperature of 27° C., and is aerated at 1 volume of air per volume of culture per minute.