High molecular weight lipids from the trilaminar outer wall (TLS)-containing microalgae Chlorella emersonii,...

High molecular weight lipids were isolated from Chlorella emersonii, Scenedesmus communis and Tetraedron minimum, thin trilaminar outer wall (TLS)-containing freshwater microalgae producing an insoluble non-hydrolysable biopolymer (i.e. algaenan). Molecular weight determination by gel permeation chromatography indicated that their molecular weights range from ca. 400 to 2000 Da. Flash pyrolysis with in situ methylation using tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) and alkaline hydrolysis showed that the high molecular weight lipids isolated from C. emersonii and S. communis are mainly composed of saturated n-C26 and n-C28 fatty acids and alcohols and of saturated n-C30 and n-C32 alpha,omega-diols and omega-hydroxy acids. In contrast the high molecular weight lipids isolated from T. minimum are predominantly composed of long-chain fatty acids and omega-hydroxy acids. Aromatic moieties were also identified in small amounts in the thermochemolysate and in the hydrolysate. Chemical structural models containing long-chain mono- and polyesters were proposed for the high molecular weight lipids isolated from the three microalgae in agreement with analytical and spectroscopic data. Structural similarity between the outer cell wall of these microalgae and the cuticular membrane of higher plants is suggested.