Search results for "microalga"
showing 10 items of 135 documents
Algae in Biotechnological Processes
2018
As photoautotrophic organisms, algae possess all of the valuable features that determine their role as the primary producers in the biosphere. A wide range of tolerance based on their extremely efficient adaptation to biochemical processes, as well as the specific cellular structure of these organisms, when correlated with the ecological plasticity of microalgae in particular, predispose these biota to growing and developing under either laboratory or industrial conditions. Hence, the natural features of algae have opened wide the door for the multidirectional biotechnological use of these organisms, with a dynamically growing number of such applications fully supporting this thesis. Among …
Comparison of epifluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry in counting freshwater picophytoplankton
2021
The smaller the phytoplankton, the greater effort is required to distinguish individual cells by optics-based methods. Flow cytometry is widely applied in marine picophytoplankton research, but in freshwater research its role has remained minor. We compared epifluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry in assessing the composition, abundance and cell sizes of autofluorescent picophytoplankton in epilimnia of 46 Finnish lakes. Phycocyaninrich picocyanobacteria were the most dominant. The two methods yielded comparable total picophytoplankton abundances, but the determination of cell sizes, and thus total biomasses, were on average an order of magnitude higher in the microscopy results. Howev…
Technologies for cultivation and exploitation of microalgae in industrial applications
2020
This thesis work is focused on technologies for the development of the microalgal industry. During this 3-years PhD work several themes were addressed. Section 1 consists in a literature review concerning the general features of microalgae, their composition and a description of the photosynthetic process. Furthermore, themes such as biosynthetic pathways, growth kinetics, microalgae cultivation and their applications are reviewed. Section 2 focuses on the genetic manipulation of microalgae aimed at producing a vitamin B12-enriched food supplement. In this case, the human intrinsic factor gene, was inserted in the genome of the microalgae Chlamydomonas reinardhtii in order to integrate new …
Cultivation and biochemical characterization of isolated Sicilian microalgal species in salt and temperature stress conditions
2021
Abstract In the last years, the possibility to exploit autochthone microalgae in regional applications has been explored. The regional-based microalgal industry may bring several benefits, as autochthone microalgae are already adapted to the biotic and abiotic stresses of their environment. In this work, this concept was applied to Sicily, in which three microalgal strains were collected from the coastline. Monoalgal strains were then isolated and molecular characterization was performed for the species determination. Three of them, two strains of Chlorella and one of Dunaliella, were cultivated in lab-scale in four different conditions: Low Temperature-Low Salt (LT-LS), High-Temperature-Lo…
Simulated eutrophication and browning alters zooplankton nutritional quality and determines juvenile fish growth and survival
2018
Source at https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3832. The first few months of life is the most vulnerable period for fish and their optimal hatching time with zooplankton prey is favored by natural selection. Traditionally, however, prey abundance (i.e., zooplankton density) has been considered important, whereas prey nutritional composition has been largely neglected in natural settings. High‐quality zooplankton, rich in both essential amino acids (EAAs) and fatty acids (FAs), are required as starting prey to initiate development and fast juvenile growth. Prey quality is dependent on environmental conditions, and, for example, eutrophication and browning are two major factors defining primary produ…
Innovative extraction and separation technologies to improve the recovery of microalgae nutrients and bioactive compounds with potential beneficial e…
2023
Las microalgas son ricas en una gran variedad de compuestos bioactivos, que incluyen proteínas, polifenoles, polisacáridos, pigmentos, minerales, vitaminas, etc., que pueden utilizarse o separarse directamente para obtener componentes de mayor valor. La extracción y la separación son pasos clave en la obtención y posterior procesamiento de los productos relacionados con las microalgas, representando las tecnologías innovadoras de procesado una estrategia innovadora y eficiente para mejorar la calidad de estos productos. Actualmente, las microalgas y sus compuestos (nutrientes, compuestos bioactivos, etc.) se utilizan como alimento y también con finalidades desde el punto de vista de salud, …
Assessment of cross-flow filtration as microalgae harvesting technique prior to anaerobic digestion: Evaluation of biomass integrity and energy demand
2018
[EN] In the present study, the effect of cross-flow filtration (CFF) on the overall valorization of Chlorella spp. microalgae as biogas was assessed. The effect of CFF on microalgae cell integrity was quantified in terms of viability which was correlated with the anaerobic biodegradability. The viability dropped as the biomass concentration increased, whereas anaerobic biodegradability increased linearly with the viability reduction. It was hypothesized that a stress-induced release and further accumulation of organic polymers during CFF increased the flux resistance which promoted harsher shear-stress conditions. Furthermore, the volume reduction as the concentration increased entailed an …
Caracterización genómica del microalga Trebouxia sp. TR9 aislada del liquen Ramalina farinacea (L.) Ach. mediante secuenciación masiva
2015
Los líquenes son complejas entidades simbióticas originadas por asociaciones cíclicas e interacciones positivas de organismos muy diferentes, un hongo heterotrófico y uno o varios “fotobiontes” autótrofos fotosintéticos, tanto algas verdes unicelulares, como cianobaterias o ambos. Además, comunidades específicas de bacterias aparecen como simbiontes obligados de líquenes. En todos los talos del liquen Ramalina farinacea (L.) Ach., coexisten las dos mismas especies de algas Trebouxia (T. jamesii -TR1- y Trebouxia sp. TR9). Esta forma de asociación simbiótica específica y selectiva es interesante como modelo de la coexistencia de dos especies diferentes de Trebouxia dentro de un mismo talo li…
Patrones de selección de microalgas en comunidades de líquenes terrícolas en biocostras
2020
Las costras biológicas de los suelos (biocostras, CBS) están constituidas por una combinación de organismos, tanto fotoautótrofos como heterótrofos, que viven dentro o sobre la superficie de los suelos, los cuales, con sus interacciones y actividades, generan una capa conjunta con las partículas del sustrato. Los líquenes, debido a la complejidad de sus simbiosis son capaces de colonizar estos hábitats adversos para otros vegetales, gracias a sus adaptaciones ecofisiológicas. Las biocostras dominadas por líquenes son muy abundantes en los claros de los matorrales y pastizales que se desarrollan en los territorios yesíferos. Su diversidad, participación en los ciclos biogeoquímicos y potenci…
Rapid Quantification of Microalgae Growth with Hyperspectral Camera and Vegetation Indices
2021
Spectral cameras are traditionally used in remote sensing of microalgae, but increasingly also in laboratory-scale applications, to study and monitor algae biomass in cultures. Practical and cost-efficient protocols for collecting and analyzing hyperspectral data are currently needed. The purpose of this study was to test a commercial, easy-to-use hyperspectral camera to monitor the growth of different algae strains in liquid samples. Indices calculated from wavebands from transmission imaging were compared against algae abundance and wet biomass obtained from an electronic cell counter, chlorophyll a concentration, and chlorophyll fluorescence. A ratio of selected wavebands containing near…