Protein and Lipid Composition of Duckweeds (Landoltia punctata and Wolffia arrhiza) Grown in a Controlled Cultivation System

Anca Sembada and Ahmad Faizal

Background and Objectives: Duckweed is a common aquatic angiosperm and is consumed by humans in Southeast Asia. Due in part to their high protein content, duckweeds have been identified as a potential human food source. Here, we conducted a preliminary study to quantify and characterize the protein and lipid content of two species of duckweed, Wolffia arrhiza and Landoltia punctata. Materials and Methods: The plants were grown for 9 days in a controlled cultivation system and proteins were extracted into n-hexane with a Soxhlet extractor. Amino acids were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography and all eight essential amino acids were present in both species at concentrations comparable to those in legumes. Lipids from the protein extraction residue were recovered and the fatty acids analyzed by gas chromatography. Results: The protein content was 0.14±0.03 and 0.17±0.01 g protein/g dry biomass and the total lipid content was 0.06±0.01 and 0.09±0.01 g lipid/g dry biomass for L. punctata and W. arrhiza, respectively. Most of the FAs were polyunsaturated, specifically, 58.38% of the total FA Methyl Esters (FAME) for L. punctata and 44.46% of the total FAME for W. arrhiza were polyunsaturated. Among these, most were omega-3 FAs, representing 44.93 and 22.17% of the total FAME in L. punctata and Wolffia arrhiza, respectively. The FAs obtained were mostly long-chain (13-22 C). Conclusion: L. punctata and W. arrhiza have a high content of both proteins and FAs, contain the essential amino acids and a considerable amount of omega-3. We consider that these results support the potential for these duckweed species to serve as a source of proteins and lipids in human food.

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