Abstract
Microalgal biomass has gained increasing attention in the last decade for various biotechnological applications, including human nutrition. Certified organic products are currently a growing niche market in which the food industry has shown great interest. In this context, this work aimed at developing a certified organic culture medium for the production of autotrophic Chlorella vulgaris biomass. A preliminary assay in 2 L bubble column photobioreactors was performed in order to screen different commercial organic substrates (OS) at a normalized concentration of N (2 mmol L−1). The highest growth performance was obtained using EcoMix4 and Bioscape which showed similar biomass concentrations compared to the synthetic culture medium (control). In order to meet the nutrient needs of Chlorella, both OS underwent elemental analyses to assess their nutrient composition. The laboratory findings allowed the development of a final organic culture medium using a proportion of Bioscape/EcoMix4 (1:1.2, m/m). This organic culture medium was later validated outdoors in 125 L flat panel and 10 m3 tubular flow through photobioreactors. The results obtained revealed that the developed organic medium led to similar microalgal growth performance and biochemical composition of produced biomass, as compared to the traditional synthetic medium. Overall, the formulated organic medium was effective for the autotrophic production of organic C. vulgaris biomass.
Highlights
Microalgae can be a source of high value compounds, such as polyunsaturated fatty acids, pigments, polysaccharides, and proteins, with applications in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries, among others [1]
Cultures obtained from this fermenter were used to inoculate the autotrophic production systems, namely, 2 L bubble columns, flat panels (FP), and tubular photobioreactors used in the present work
The results obtained in this study show that it is feasible to cultivate C. vulgaris biomass labelled as “organic” using production systems with different volumes and geometries, without compromising biomass production
Summary
Microalgae can be a source of high value compounds, such as polyunsaturated fatty acids, pigments (e.g., chlorophylls and carotenoids), polysaccharides, and proteins, with applications in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries, among others [1]. The food industry has seen an increased demand for natural, healthy, high quality raw materials, even if the consumer prices of the final product become higher. “organic” usually refers to living organisms and compounds with the presence of carbon, but for consumers this word is often linked to food. Sci. 2020, 10, 2156 of the United Nations (FAO) reported that the term “organic” should be viewed as a management claim concerning a process having natural inputs rather than a product claim. Inter-governmentally organizations through partnerships with International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFAOM) set guidelines in 2002 for organic farming production systems, but in legal terms, labelling and certification is set by different global standards depending on where the food is produced
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