Evaluación del contenido de compuestos fenólicos de cuatro especies de microalgas marina cultivadas en dos tipos de contenedores

Abstract

It is well known that both algae and microalgae are producers of protective antioxidant compounds in response to damage for stress (UV radiation, temperature variation, excessive light and others). In the present study, the total phenol content in four species of marine microalgae was evaluated: Chaetoceros muelleri , Thalassiosira weissflogii, Dunaliella tertiolecta and Tetraselmis chuii . Cultures were performed by quadruplicate under laboratory conditions, in carboy of clear glass and blue plastic and counts of cells were done daily within day 4 to 6. Total phenols were extracted with ethanol 100% and acetone 70% and quantified by spectrophotometry. The total cell number was higher in the clear glass container (743.656 cells/mL) than in the blue plastic (595.781 cells/mL). Independently of kind of container, the greatest number of cells were found in the species Dunalliela tertiolecta and Chaetoceros muelleri with 904,000 and 965,000 cells/mL, respectively. The concentration of total phenols (mg EAG g-1) was different for each species of microalgae, however, contrasting the material of the containers, no significant differences were found. It was concluded that the production of phenolic compounds and biomass were higher in cultures of green algae, independently of the material of culture vessel.