Biodiesel from algae is considered an alternative for a third generation of biofuels.However, most microalgae are not lipogenic during fast growth periods, but high lipid content occurs at resting stages. Microalgae biomass production for biodiesel needs continuous high volumetric and aerial yields and large amount of neutral lipid in the biomass. These requirements are similar to demanding a marathon runner to be obese. We show that by using cell--sorting capabilities of flow cytometers, in combination with the lipid--soluble fluorescent dye Nile Red, we can isolate and select cells with a high and stable lipid content. In our study we were able to select through three sorting events obtained from wild populations of Tetraselmis suecica
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