Automated nutrient screening system enables high-throughput optimisation of microalgae production conditions

• Main Authors: Hankamer, B. (Author), Jakob, G. (Author), Radzun, K.A (Author), Ross, I. (Author), Stephens, E. (Author), Wolf, J. (Author), Zhang, E. (Author)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BioMed Central Ltd. 2015
• Subjects: algae; Algae; Animalia; Batch cell culture; biological production; biomass; Biomass; Calcium; Ecology; fuel; Growth; Growth (materials); growth response; High throughput; High-throughput; Manganese; microalga; Microorganisms; Multi-dimensional space; Nutrient; nutrient dynamics; Nutrient interactions; Nutrients; Production system; Renewable fuels; renewable resource; Screening; Screening system; Specific growth rate; Throughput; Two-step process
• Online Access: View Fulltext in Publisher; View in Scopus

 Background: Microalgae provide an excellent platform for the production of high-value-products and are increasingly being recognised as a promising production system for biomass, animal feeds and renewable fuels. Results: Here, we describe an automated screen, to enable high-throughput optimisation of 12 nutrients for microalgae production. Its miniaturised 1,728 multiwell format allows multiple microalgae strains to be simultaneously screened using a two-step process. Step 1 optimises the primary elements nitrogen and phosphorous. Step 2 uses Box-Behnken analysis to define the highest growth rates within the large multidimensional space tested (Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, B, Se, V, Si) at three levels (-1, 0, 1). The highest specific growth rates and maximum OD750 values provide a measure for continuous and batch culture. Conclusion: The screen identified the main nutrient effects on growth, pairwise nutrient interactions (for example, Ca-Mg) and the best production conditions of the sampled statistical space providing the basis for a targeted full factorial screen to assist with optimisation of algae production. © 2015 Radzun et al.; licensee BioMed Central.