Microalgae are currently emerging as one of the most promising alternative sources for the next generation of food, feed, cosmetics and renewable energy in the form of biofuel. Microalgae constitute a diverse group of microorganisms with advantages like fast and efficient growth. In addition, they do not compete for arable land and offer very high lipid yield potential. Major challenges for the development of this resource are to select lipid-rich strains using high-throughput staining for neutral lipid content in microalgae species. For this purpose, the fluorescent dyes most commonly used to quantify lipids are Nile red and BODIPY 505/515. Their fluorescent staining for lipids offers a rapid and inexpensive analysis tool to measure neutral lipid content, avoiding time-consuming and costly gravimetric analysis. This review collates and presents recent advances in algal lipid staining and focuses on Nile red and BODIPY 505/515 staining characteristics. The available literature addresses the limitations of fluorescent dyes under certain conditions, such as spectral properties, dye concentrations, cell concentrations, temperature and incubation duration. Moreover, the overall conclusion of the present review study gives limitations on the use of fluorochrome for screening of lipid-rich microalgae species and suggests improved protocols for staining recalcitrant microalgae and recommendations for the staining quantification.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13068-015-0220-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
BackgroundCulture collapse due to high temperatures can significantly impact the profitability of outdoor algal cultivation systems. The objective of this study was to model for the first time the impact of high temperatures on algal activity and viability.ResultsViability measurements on Dunaliella salina cultures were based on cytometry with two fluorescent markers (erythrosine and fluorescein di-acetate), and photosynthetic activity was measured by Pulse Amplitude Modulation (PAM) fluorometry. Kinetic studies revealed that viability and activity losses during exposure to high temperatures could be described by a Weibull model. Both mortality and activity were shown to be functions of the thermal dose received by the algae, defined as the product of duration of exposure to high temperatures and an exponential function of temperature. Simulations at five climatic locations revealed that culture collapse due to high temperatures could impact productivity of D. salina in non-temperature-controlled outdoor photobioreactors by 35 and 40% in arid and Mediterranean climates, respectively.ConclusionsThe model developed in this study can be used to forecast the impact of high temperatures on algal biofuel productivity. When coupled with models predicting the temperature of outdoor cultivation systems, this model can also be used to select the best combination of location, system geometry, and algal species to minimize the risks of culture collapse and therefore maximize biofuel productivity.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13068-017-0823-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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