Synergistic Effects of Dysmorphococcus globosus on Selenium Enrichment and Astaxanthin Accumulation

Hidden starvation poses a critical threat to people's nutritional status and overall health. Developing functional agriculture can alleviate hidden starvation. This study investigates organic selenium supplementation challenges and the antioxidant potential of high-value astaxanthin. The microalgal strain <i>Dysmorphococcus globosus</i> HY13 was cultured in medium containing sodium selenite, and the effects of different sodium selenite concentrations on the growth of HY13 were analyzed. Color change was the most obvious when the medium was supplemented with 1500 mg L^-1 selenite, with samples showing an orange-red color. The conversion efficiency of inorganic selenium to organic selenium reached 99.23%. Similarly, under selenium stress conditions, the HY13 strain accumulated high levels of astaxanthin (up to 0.86 mg g^-1 dry weight). Thus, <i>D. globosus</i> appears to efficiently convert inorganic selenium into organic selenium and synergistically accumulate high-value astaxanthin under selenium stress, emphasizing its potential applications in functional agriculture and nutritionally fortified product development.