Potential of a chicken manure concentrate additive for Arthrospira maxima (Cyanophyceae): biochemical characterization and phycocyanin production

Abstract

ABSTRACT Livestock manure is an eco-friendly and economical substrate for culturing microalgae. Chicken manure (CM) contains many organic nutrients, such as carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus, that are essential for microalgal growth. However, few studies have used CM to culture Arthrospira maxima, which has broad applications in the biofuel, pharmaceutical, food and feed industries, and is a candidate microalga for the treatment of animal waste. In this study, the use of CM concentrate (CMC) as an additive for A. maxima was evaluated. Zarrouk’s medium was combined with 0.5%, 1% and 1.5% (v/v) CMC. Fed-batch and batch culture methods were applied, and the biomass production and biochemical components of A. maxima were investigated. Fed-batch culture in a medium supplemented with 0.5% CMC resulted in the highest biomass production (1.86 ± 0.06 g l–1) and crude phycocyanin concentration (78.44 ± 0.20 mg g–1) on day 51 of culture, with significant differences compared to those in other groups (P < 0.05). However, significant differences among culture conditions were not observed in other biochemical components. This study demonstrates the newly established CMC-added cultivation method as a highly feasible strategy for industrial applications owing to its improved biomass production and nutritional advantages associated with increased phycocyanin concentration.