National Sun Yat-sen University / Professor Chih-Chuang Liaw

 Technology Introduction 

Thraustochytrids are a group of microorganisms capable of producing high‑value bioactive compounds such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and astaxanthin. Herein, 33 thraustochytrid strains were collected from Taiwanese mangroves and profiled to establish a MALDI‑TOF MS Biotyper database. In comparison with 18S rRNA gene‑based phylogeny, the results indicated that MALDI‑TOF Biotyper afforded higher resolution for strain discrimination. Integrating MALDI‑TOF mass fingerprints with multivariate analyses (PCA and K‑means clustering) and HPLC quantification of DHA and astaxanthin enabled functional grouping and rapid selection of high‑producing strains. One DHA‑rich strain and one astaxanthin‑producing strain were selected for dietary supplementation trials in Litopenaeus vannamei. Based on the results of supplementation trials, the feed with the powder of the DHA‑rich and the astaxanthin‑producing strains significantly improved juvenile survival and growth rates as well as demonstrated the strains’ aquaculture application potential. This workflow highlights that combining the mass‑spectrometric fingerprinting, multivariate trait clustering, and chemical quantification could facilitates accelerated selection of thraustochytrid strains for nutraceutical and aquafeed development.

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