Culturing cyanobacteria in a highly alkaline environment is a possible strategy for controlling contamination by other organisms. Synechocystis PCC 6803 cells were grown in continuous cultures to assess their growth performance at different pH values. Light conversion efficiency linearly decreased with the increase in pH and ranged between 12.5 % (PAR) at pH 7.5 (optimal) and decreased to 8.9 % at pH 11.0. Photosynthetic activity, assessed by measuring both chlorophyll fluorescence and photosynthesis rate, was not much affected going from pH 7.5 to 11.0, while productivity, growth yield, and biomass yield on light energy declined by 32, 28, and 26 % respectively at pH 11.0. Biochemical composition of the biomass did not change much within pH 7 and 10, while when grown at pH 11.0, carbohydrate content increased by 33 % while lipid content decreased by about the same amount. Protein content remained almost constant (average 65.8 % of dry weight). Cultures maintained at pH above 11.0 could grow free of contaminants (protozoa and other competing microalgae belonging to the species of Poterioochromonas).Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00253-015-7024-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

BackgroundSynechocystis sp. PCC 6803, a model organism used for bioenergy and bioplastic production, was grown in continuous culture to assess its most important bioenergetic parameters.ResultsBiomass yield on light energy of 1.237 g mol photons−1 and maintenance energy requirement of 0.00312 mol photons g−1 h−1 were calculated. This corresponded to a light conversion efficiency of 12.5 %, based on the model of Pirt which was about 35 % lower than the theoretical one based on the stoichiometric equation for the formation of biomass on carbon dioxide, water, and nitrate. The maximum Fv/Fm ratio recorded in the Synechocystis cultures was 0.57; it progressively declined to 0.45 as the dilution rate increased. An over-reduction of reaction centers at a high dilution rate was also recorded, together with an increased VJ phase for the chlorophyll fluorescence transient. In contrast, the chlorophyll optical cross section increased by about 40 % at the fastest dilution rate, and compensated for the decline in Fv/Fm, thus resulting in a constant total photosynthesis rate (photosynthesis plus respiration). Chlorophyll content was maximum at the lowest dilution rate and was 48 % lower at the highest one, while phycocyanin, and total carotenoids decreased by about 42 % and 37 %, respectively. Carotenoid analysis revealed increased echinenone, zeaxanthin, and myxoxanthophyll contents as the dilution rate increased (40.6, 63.8 and 35.5 %, respectively, at the fastest dilution rate). A biochemical analysis of the biomass harvested at each different dilution rates showed no changes in the lipid content (averaging 11.2 ± 0.6 % of the dry weight), while the protein content decreased as the dilution rate increased, ranging between 60.7 ± 1.1 and 72.6 ± 0.6 %. Amino acids pattern did not vary with the dilution rate. Carbohydrate content ranged from 9.4 to 16.2 % with a mean value of 11.2 ± 1.4 %.ConclusionsThe present work provides useful information on the threshold of light conversion efficiency in Synechocystis, as well as basic bioenergetic parameters that will be helpful for future studies related to its genetic transformation and metabolic network reconstruction.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13068-015-0319-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Arthrospira platensis and Arthrospira maxima are prokaryotic microalgae commercially marketed as spirulina. The pigments extracted from these algae are widely used for cosmetic and nutraceutical applications. This work aimed to evaluate the influence of three light-emitting lamps (white, orange and blue) on the growth and biomass composition of two strains of A. platensis (M2 and M2M) and one of A. maxima. The obtained data show strain- and light-dependent responses of the microalgae. In addition, white and orange lights led to a similar overall effect by increasing the levels of chlorophyll a and carotenoids. However, exposure to orange light resulted in the highest dry weight (5973.3 mg L−1 in M2M), whereas white light stimulated an increase in the carbohydrate fraction (up to 42.36 g 100 g−1 in A. maxima). Conversely, blue light led to a constant increase in the concentration of phycocyanin (14 g 100 g−1 in A. maxima) and a higher content of proteins in all strains. These results provide important environmental information for modulating the growth of different spirulina strains, which can be used to address the synthesis of biochemical compounds of strategic importance for the development of new nutraceutical foods.

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Since temperature is an important factor affecting microalgal growth, photosynthetic rate and biomass composition, this study has accordingly focused on its effects on biomass yield and nighttime biomass loss, as well as photochemical changes, using Nannochloropsis oceanica as model species, grown in two outdoor 50-L tubular photobioreactors (PBR). In two independent trials, cultures were subjected to a diurnal light:dark cycle, under a constant temperature of 28 ºC and, on the second trial, at 18 ºC.Changes in culture performance were assessed by measuring growth and assessing lipid and fatty acid composition of the biomass in both morning and evening. Our results revealed that N. oceanica shows a wide temperature tolerance with relevant nighttime biomass loss, that decreased at lower temperatures, at the expenses of its daily productivity. Fluorescence measurements revealed reversible damage to photosystem II in cells growing in the PBR under optimal thermal conditions, whereas microalgae grown at suboptimal ones exhibited an overall lower photosynthetic activity. Lipids were partially consumed overnight to support cell division and provide maintenance energy.Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) catabolism reached a maximum after the dark period, as opposed to their saturated counterparts; whereas lower temperatures led to higher EPA content which reached the maximum in the morning. These findings are relevant for the production of Nannochloropsis at industrial scale.