Spirulina Sp Research Articles

Pretreatment of Herbal, Tofu and Fertilizer Waste Using UV/Ozon Technique and Its Utilization for Spirulina sp Cultivation

The herbal, tofu and fertilizer industries contribute considerable waste to the environment. The waste contains COD and organic substances which should be reduced before it is discharged to the environmental body. One of methods is by using Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) degradation method. The process of AOPs in this study used a combination of UV irradiation and ozone to produce hydroxyl radicals. This study was aimed to investigate the degradation of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) by using AOP techniques and to evaluate the treated waste for microalgae growth. This research consists of two steps: (1) the initial COD degradation using UV-Ozon. (2) utilization of the treated waste for microalgae cultivation by combining a mixed nutrient of waste and 10 mg/L TSP, 10 mg/L Urea, 80mg/L NaHCO3. The results showed that the COD degraded by UV/Ozone follows the first order equation by k value of 0.082/day, 0.223/day and 0.436/day for tofu, herbal and fertilizer waste respectively. The growth rate of Spirulina cultivated in waste medium was in comparable with the one cultivated in control medium.

Antioxidant ultrafine fibers developed with microalga compounds using a free surface electrospinning

Free surface electrospinning is a method for high throughput production of nonwovens using electrostatic charge. The Spirulina microalga is known for its high protein content and it presents in its biomass antioxidants of commercial importance such as phycocyanin. The objective of this study was to develop antioxidant ultrafine fibers based on protein concentrate from Spirulina sp. LEB 18/poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and phycocyanin, using a free surface electrospinning method. Uniform ultrafine fibers of protein concentrate of Spirulina sp. LEB 18 containing 2% (w w−1) of phycocyanin were developed with diameters of 269, 314 and 542 nm, at 5, 7.5 and 10% (w w−1) protein concentrations, respectively. The electrospun fibers increased the thermal stability of phycocyanin. Overall, the Spirulina sp. LEB 18/PEO electrospun fibers loaded with phycocyanin showed antioxidant properties. Thus, microalgal biocompounds such as phycocyanin are innovative alternatives for the development of bioactive ultrafine fibers for potential application in food preservation.

Cytotoxicity, antifungal and anti mycotoxins effects of phenolic compounds from fermented rice bran and Spirulina sp

Abstract The safety of chemical preservatives has been called into question due to their potential harmful effects on food. Natural compounds may serve as alternative food preservatives and offer a better safety profile. We investigated the cytotoxic, antifungal and anti-mycotoxic (Penicillium verrucosum CCT 7680) activities of phenolic compounds from Spirulina sp. LEB-18 and from rice bran biomass produced by Rhizopus oryzae in comparison with the chemical preservative calcium propionate. The phenolic compounds tested did not show cytotoxic activity in NIH/3T3 cells. Phenolic compounds from fermented rice bran and Spirulina sp. LEB-18 showed promising results, inhibiting fungal growth by 39.8% and 20.2%, respectively, and ochratoxin A by 40.2% and 29%, respectively. When the effects of phenolic compounds were compared with those of calcium propionate, the efficiency of the phenolic compounds from rice bran and Spirulina were 2.5 and 1.5 times higher, respectively.

Innovative functional nanodispersion: Combination of carotenoid from Spirulina and yellow passion fruit albedo

The nanoencapsulation of carotenoids is presented as a positive alternative to broaden the application of these pigments in the food industry. In this study, we investigated the use of yellow passion fruit albedo flour as an encapsulating material for the production of nanodispersions of carotenoid extract obtained from Spirulina sp. LEB 18. Nanodispersions were characterized for their physicochemical properties, antioxidant activity, stability, and retention of carotenoids after 60 days of storage (4 °C). The nanodispersions made from yellow passion fruit albedo flour and microalgae carotenoid extract presented an average particle diameter at the nanometer scale, high antioxidant activity, and carotenoid retention compared to nanodispersions containing synthetic β-carotene. Yellow passion fruit albedo flour as a polymeric material in the production of carotenoid nanodispersions is an alternative to commercial polymers and allows greater stability and broader application of these pigments.

The Dynamic of Density and Diversity of Cyanophyta in Different Pond Bases in Educational Pond of Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Universitas Airlangga

This study was conducted in tarpaulin and soil base educational pond in the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Universitas Airlangga. This study is aimed to know the dynamics of density and variety of Cyanophyta in ponds of different bases at educational ponds of Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Universitas Airlangga. The research employed survey method, which is intended to describe the existing phenomena, regardless the period of occurrence. The results were presented in descriptive form. The result of observed density of Cyanophyta at 14.00 in the tarpaulin pond ranged between 868,000 and 1,569,000 ind / l., while the one in the soil pond ranged from 331,000 to 372,000 ind / l. The result of observed dynamics in the tarpaulin pond included the species of Ghomphosphaeria, Anabaena circularis, Anabaena raciborskii, Anabaena sphaerica, Microcystis sp., and Spirulina sp. On the other hand, in the soil pond were Anabaena circularis, Anabaena raciborskii, Microcystis sp., and Spirulina sp. Spirulina sp was the dominant species in the tarpaulin and soil ponds.

Evaluation of distillery wastewater treatability in a customized photobioreactor using blue-green microalgae – Laboratory and outdoor study

Treatability of anaerobically digested distillery wastewater is challenging because of its high pollution load of COD up to 40,000 ppm. This research investigates the possibilities of retrofitting the effluent treatment plant (ETP) of a distillery with microalgae treatment step. For this, at first the photobioreactors of capacity 50 L and 500 L were customized for the cultivation of Spirulina sp. under xenon lamp and sunlight. The reactor supported the maximum specific growth rate up to 0.42 ± 0.03 d−1 in the 50 L reactor at laboratory and 0.10 ± 0.02 d−1 in the 500 L reactor at the outdoor for Spirulina sp. The treatability of wastewater of COD 30,000 ppm–40,000 ppm was carried out in those reactors with the Spirulina sp. of culture volume fraction 0.8 and 0.93 under xenon lamp and sunlight respectively. The chemical oxygen demand and total dissolved solids reduction were 60–70% in both the volume fractions of the culture. Ion chromatography analysis indicated the reduction of major inorganic pollutants in the wastewater by the Spirulina sp. The algae were sustainable when the culture volume fraction was increased from 0.8 to 0.93. Thus, the phycoremediation was shown the significant pollution reduction in the wastewater. The addition of this step is valuable and it benefits the distillery by not only improving the quality of wastewater but also through the generation of algae biomass that would be appropriate for animal feed or biofuel application. However, the detail biochemical study is needed for the best use of algae biomass and the treatment could be checked for the long run sustainability.

Protective and curative role of Spirulina platensis extracts on cisplatin induce acute kidney injury in rats

ABSTRACTCisplatin (Cp) is an anti-neoplastic drug. Nephrotoxicity is the major side effect of Cp. Spirulina (Sp) is a blue-green alga with the ability to alleviating side effects of chemotherapeutic drugs in clinic. The aim of the study was to evaluate the ability of Sp to protect from cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity. Adult male rat was orally administered Sp two days before single dose of Cp over 21 days (Sp + Cp group), 2nd group that intake Sp two days after with the same dose of Cp (Cp + Sp group) and two further groups were served as controls treated with either Sp or Cp only, respectively, as well as normal healthy control was included. At the end of experiment, Cp drug was induced acute kidney injury elevated levels of BUN, creatinine, KIM-1, NGAL and microalbumin in significant compared to that of normal control group, while the opposite effects were found in the rats who received Sp only. Furthermore, the prophylactic group showed improvements in biochemical parameters compared to those received Cp only. The effects of Cp were found to be diminished in the treated group. In addition, evaluation of Bax and SIRT genes expression in combination with histomorphological alterations of the kidney indicated the protective effect of Sp against Cp. In conclusion, pretreatment with Sp protected Cp-induced nephrotoxicity, probably via its antiapoptotic properties.

Evaluation of CO2 Biofixation and Biodiesel Production by Spirulina (Arthospira) Cultivated In Air-Lift Photobioreactor

ABSTRACT Spirulina is a microalgal genre that has the capacity to produce various bioproducts with applications in several areas including the energy sector. The study aimed to assess the ability of CO2 biofixation, biodiesel and other biocompounds production by Spirulina sp LEB 18 cultured in air-lift photobioreactor. The microalgae presented a rich macronutrient composition: protein (47.3%), carbohydrates (13.4%) and a high lipid content (32.7%) in a media with nitrogen reduction, CO2 using air-lift photobiorector. Furthermore, 160 mg.L.d-1 of CO2 was biofixed, generating a maximum biomass yield of 0.02 g.L.d-1. The lipids evaluated for biodiesel production presented a theoretical yield of 19.8% for in situ transesterification and 47.9% for conventional transesterification. The microalgal biomass has potential for producing biodiesel that can be applied instead or in mixture with traditional diesel fuel. The study of obtaining energy associated with the production of other high value-added biocompounds from the microalgal biomass is of high importance because in this way, the viability of biofuel production by this microorganism can be increased.

Pilot-scale isolation and characterization of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) from cell-free medium of Spirulina sp. LEB-18 cultures under outdoor conditions

This objective of this work was to monitor the EPS production during the growth of Spirulina sp. LEB-18, evaluate the productivity and to characterize the exopolymers obtained on pilot-scale under outdoor conditions. The production of crude EPS occurred in all phases of biomass growth and was approximately ten folds higher than that biomass concentration of Spirulina sp. LEB-18 at the end cultivation, demonstrating the importance of the use of supernatant after harvesting of Spirulina to obtain high value bioproducts. The EPS extracted by Spirulina sp. LEB-18 are typically heteropolymers with one high molecular weight fraction (polysaccharides) with potential to be utilized as an alternative bioflocculant and another fraction of lower molecular mass (proteins). The presence of uronic acids, pyruvates and acyl groups of carbohydrates or carboxylic groups of amino acids in protein moiety is the main responsible for overall negative charge of EPS, which is also of biotechnological importance. Moreover, due to the pseudoplastic behavior of the solutions and high thermal stability, the obtained EPS can be widely applied in several industrial sectors, thus determining its technological and market potentiality.

In-Vivo Test of Spirulina sp as Inducer of β-Actin In Cantang Grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus-lanceolatus) Infected by Viral Nervous Necrosis

Cantang grouper fish ( Epinephelus fuscoguttatus-lanceolatus ) is a result of hybridized fish between a female of tiger grouper fish ( Epinephelus fuscoguttatus ) and male of kertang grouper ( Ephinephelus lanceolatus ). In the development of cultivation, there are many problems, one of them infected with the class of virus Nodaviridae, namely Viral Nervous Necrosis (VNN). Fish had a defense against cellular immunity against the VNN virus by β-actin. The aims of this research to explore the crude extract of Spirulina sp as a β-actin inducer for the anti-inflammatory immune system in grouper fish against VNN attack. The method used in this research is experiment methods. Crude extracts of Spirulina sp (33 μg/ml) were conducted by feeding orally to groupers, and VNN infections were conducted by feeding the already positive VNN meat. Detection of VNN using RT-PCR, however β-actin detection using PCR, and IHC in the organ of Cantang grouper fish. The results showed that the percentage of DAB value of control fish (14.0%), fish treated with Spirulina sp (25.7%), fish treated with VNN (31.9%), and fish treated with Spirulina sp extract and VNN infection (32.4%). The percentage of DAB values were indicated by the detection of the target gene β-actin. Immunity in fish increases with the addition of Spirulina sp. The increased β-actin expression may also be used as an indicator of a grouper's body defense against VNN infection.

Carbon Dioxide Biofixation and Production of Spirulina sp. LEB 18 Biomass with Different Concentrations of NaNO3 and NaCl

ABSTRACT Microalgae are efficient at using solar energy to turn CO2 and nutrients into biomass containing lipids, proteins, carbohydrates and other compounds that may be used to produce bioproducts for human and animal consumption and pharmaceutical use. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of the NaNO3 and NaCl concentration on the growth kinetics, the biomass composition and the ability to biofix CO2 using the microalga Spirulina sp. LEB 18. The assays were carried out according to a 22 central composite design (CCD) with different concentrations of NaNO3 (1.25, 1.88 and 2.50 g L-1) and NaCl (1.00, 15.0 and 30.0 g L-1). The assays were carried out in 2 L vertical tubular photobioreactors at 30°C, 12 h light/dark and an injection of 12.0% v/v of CO2 at 0.3 vvm. The best growing results (Xmax = 1.60 g L-1, Pmax = 0.109 g L-1 d-1, μmax = 0.208 d-1) and CO2 biofixation rate (197.4 mg L-1 d-1) were observed in the assay with 1.25 g L-1 NaNO3 and 1.00 g L-1 NaCl. Increasing the NaCl concentration produced biomass with a higher carbohydrate content, while increasing the NaNO3 concentration reduced the protein concentration. According to the results, in addition to using Spirulina as a source of protein, it can also be used as a source of carbohydrates and to biologically remove CO2 from the atmosphere.

Glycerol increases growth, protein production and alters the fatty acids profile of Spirulina (Arthrospira) sp LEB 18

Abstract Most of the crude glycerol produced globally is generated by biodiesel production, which makes this byproduct an environmental responsibility of the biofuel industries. Among the forms of this compound in use, microalgae cultivation is a promising alternative that may generate a reduction in crude glycerol treatment costs via using it as an organic, carbon-rich substrate in culture media. In this work, the influence of different concentrations of glycerol in the culture medium, the composition of fatty acids and proteins in Spirulina sp. LEB 18 biomass and their effect on its growth were investigated. The fatty acid profile of the biomass was altered, showing a 20% increase in the unsaturated concentration and a 60% reduction in the saturated concentration in the culture supplemented with 0.05 mol L−1 of glycerol compared to those in the control. The addition of the substrate stimulated an increase in its cellular concentration (3.00 g L−1, 0.05 mol L−1), productivity (0.72 g L−1 d−1, 0.05 mol L−1) and its protein production (69.78% w w−1, 0.05 mol L−1).

Cyanobacterial Biomass by Reuse of Wastewater-Containing Hypochlorite

Spirulina (Arthrospira) are cyanobacteria with high potential to use waste as a substrate for conversion into products such as biofuels and biopolymers. This study aims to investigate the alternative application of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) extraction wastes from cyanobacterial biomass in the cultivation of Spirulina sp. LEB 18. Cultures were prepared with the addition of waste at concentrations of 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10% (v/v) in Zarrouk medium. The experimental cultures were compared to the control culture (without the addition of waste). The waste was exposed to three conditions: no treatment, thermal treatment at 121°C for 15 min, and chemical neutralization by sodium thiosulfate. The maximum biomass concentrations achieved by the cultures on the control, with no treatment, with thermal treatment and with neutralized waste, were 1.15 g/L (0% waste), 0.96 g/L (8% waste), 1.2 g/L (6% waste), and 1.12 g/L (10% waste), respectively. The yield values obtained on the control, with no treatment, with thermal treatment, and with chemical neutralization were 0.07, 0.04, 0.08, and 0.08 g/L/d, respectively. These results show the usability of this waste in Spirulina sp. LEB 18 cultivation. The application of this waste reduces the disposal of waste in the environment.

The release of the blue biological pigment C‐phycocyanin through calcium‐aided cytolysis of live Spirulina sp.

C‐phycocyanin is a light‐harvesting phycobiliprotein found in, amongst other species, the cyanobacterium Spirulina sp. C‐phycocyanin is bright blue in colour and can be used as a natural blue colorant for a variety of applications. Various cell disruption methods exist to cause the lysis of the cyanobacterial cells and release of phycocyanin, but these methods have significant drawbacks, such as cost, difficulty in scale‐up, bacterial contamination, or risk of degrading the protein. This article outlines an alternative method for cell disruption based on the use of Ca(II), which lyses live Spirulina biomass, releasing phycocyanin at a range of concentrations (0.1–0.8 m) over varying time periods, depending on the conditions. In comparison with other ionic species tested, Ca(II) performed best by a significant margin. Bead milling of biomass was used to quantify the maximum phycocyanin in the biomass, and the greatest was found to be ca. 90% released into solution after 48 h under 0.5 m Ca(II) in a 0.35 m acetate buffer at pH 6. Exposing Spirulina to sodium azide revealed that the mechanism of Ca(II) ion‐aided cytolysis is likely based on a metabolically driven process. This study demonstrates a potential processing option for the release of phycocyanin from live Spirulina, paving the way for the development of a novel bioprocess for the industrial production of the biological pigment.

The antioxidant activity of nanoemulsions based on lipids and peptides from Spirulina sp. LEB18

Nanoemulsions present several advantages over macroemulsions, since they guarantee characteristics of compounds such as greater bioavailability, kinetic stability, besides facilitating the transport of compounds of interest. The incorporation of biopeptides into nanoemulsions makes its applicability viable in several areas such as cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and foods. Linked to this, the use of microalgal lipids rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids such as the oil phase in a nanoemulsion, gets attractive when one consults data of its benefits to human health. The objective of this study was to develop lipid-based nanoemulsions extracted from de microalga Spirulina sp. LEB18, with incorporation of biopeptides obtained from this same microalga, evaluating its nanoemulsions antioxidant activity. Distilled water and Tween® 80 surfactant were used as the aqueous phase and as microalgal lipid oil phase, a solvent mixture of chloroform-methanol (2:1) and biopeptides was used. The nanoemulsions presented mean droplet diameter at the range of 222.9 ± 3.4 to 466.9 ± 5.3 nm, remaining constant over the period analyzed (14 d). Moreover, all nanoemulsions presented antioxidant activity and electrostatic stability, having zeta potential values below −30 mV. It was also possible to observe that lipids from Spirulina sp. LEB18 presented stabilizing capacity, acting as biosurfactant.

CO2 conversion by the integration of biological and chemical methods: Spirulina sp. LEB 18 cultivation with diethanolamine and potassium carbonate addition

The aim of this work was to evaluate if the addition of the chemical absorbents diethanolamine and potassium carbonate affects the CO2 biofixation, growth and biomass composition of Spirulina sp. LEB 18. The association of the diethanolamine (DEA) and potassium carbonate (K2CO3) absorbents increased the dissolved inorganic carbon concentration in the cultivation medium, allowing greater CO2 biofixation by the Spirulina. Higher biomass concentration (2.1 g L−1) and maximum productivity (174.2 mg L−1 d−1) were observed with the mixture of 1.64 mmol L−1 of DEA and 0.41 mmol L−1 of K2CO3. In this cultivation condition, Spirulina sp. LEB 18 showed high protein content (58.8 w w−1) and an increased carbohydrate concentration (23.7% w w−1). The addition of these absorbent concentrations may be applied in the cultivation of Spirulina sp. LEB 18 to increase CO2 biofixation and cell growth.

Mikroenkapsulasi Fikosianin dalam Maltodekstrin-Alginat: Formulasi dan Karakterisasi

Phycocyanin is a source of natural blue dye which can be extracted from Spirulina sp. The main characteristics of phycocyanin are unstable by temperature and pH during processing and storage. Microencapsulation methods could be proposed to protect the phycocyanin from the external effect, where the types and concentration of encapsulant used may affect the characteristics of the result. The aim of this study was to determine the best formulation and characterization of phycocyanin microcapsules from Spirulina sp. with maltodextrin and alginate as an encapsulant. The microcapsules were produced using five different concentrations of alginate in maltodextrin, namely 0%; 0.2%; 0.4%; 0.6%; and 0.8% (w/w). The total encapsulant used was 10% of phycocyanin microparticle solution. The results showed that the increasing concentration of alginate could raise the levels of phycocyanin, moisture content, encapsulation efficiency, bulk density, blue intensity, and particle size, it also improved the morphology of the microcapsules. Phycocyanin microcapsules with alginate concentration of 0.6% and 9.4% maltodextrin had the highest phycocyanin content, encapsulation efficiency, and blue intensity.

Efficacy of Spirulina sp. polyhydroxyalkanoates extraction methods and influence on polymer properties and composition

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of methods used to extract polyhydroxyalkanoates from Spirulina sp. LEB-18 microalgae and to examine the influence of these methods on the purity, properties, and composition of the polymers. Polyhydroxyalkanoates were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), molecular mass, degree of crystallinity, and monomer composition. The efficacy of the extraction methods varied, with polyhydroxyalkanoate accumulation.between 6.10 and 9.80%, and degrees of purity between 63.51 and 93.62%. Using sodium hypochlorite in the initial stage of the extraction increased accumulation, while using methanol at the end of the process increased the purity of the polymers. The molecular mass and crystallinity index of the polyhydroxyalkanoates varied, showing that the extraction methods interfered with polymer properties. The composition of polyhydroxyalkanoates was also influenced by the extraction, with varying percentages of monomers identified. The copolymers of the polyhydroxyalkanoates obtained are formed by the monomers 11-hydroxyhexadecanoate, in a higher proportion, hydroxyheptanoate and hydroxytetradecanoate, demonstrating that Spirulina sp. LEB-18 is capable of producing medium and long chain polymers. The detection of these monomer blocks in the polyhydroxyalkanoate structure of this microalga is an important scientific novelty because these monomer blocks are constituents of new polymers. An indirect relationship (R2 = 0.8044) was observed between the percentage of the 11-hydroxyhexadecanoate monomer and the degree of crystallinity of polyhydroxyalkanoates obtained by the different methods. This suggests that obtaining the polymer with medium- and long-chain monomers contributes to reduction of crystallinity.

Influence of nitrogen on growth, biomass composition, production, and properties of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) by microalgae

This study sought to evaluate influence of nitrogen availability on cell growth, biomass composition, production, and the properties of polyhydroxyalkanoates during cultivation of microalgae Chlorella minutissima, Synechococcus subsalsus, and Spirulina sp. LEB-18. The cellular growth of microalgae reduced with the use of limited nitrogen medium, demonstrating that nitrogen deficiency interferes with the metabolism of microorganisms and the production of biomass. The biochemical composition of microalgae was also altered, which was most notable in the degradation of proteins and chlorophylls and the accumulation of carbonaceous storage molecules such as lipids and polyhydroxyalkanoates. Chlorella minutissima did not produce these polymers even in a nitrogen deficient environment. The largest accumulations of the polyhydroxyalkanoates occurred after a 15 days culture, with a concentration of 16% (dry cell weight) produced by the Synechococcus subsalsus strain and 12% by Spirulina sp. LEB-18. Polyhydroxyalkanoates produced by Synechococcus subsalsus and Spirulina sp. LEB-18 presented different thermal and physical properties, indicating the influence of producing strain on polyhydroxyalkanoates properties. The polymers obtained consisted of long chain monomers with 14 to 18 carbon atoms. This composition is novel, as it has not previously been found in PHAs obtained from Synechococcus subsalsus and Spirulina sp. LEB-18.

A rapid and non-destructive method for quantifying biomolecules in Spirulina platensis via Fourier transform infrared – Attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy

This study aimed to develop a method to rapidly quantify biomolecules in Spirulina platensis. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra of Spirulina cells were modeled from the individual spectra of glucose, bovine serum albumin and glycerol tripalmitate standards by iterative spectral subtraction and addition methods in accordance with the Beer-Lambert's law. Multipoint regression and partial least squares (PLS) regression techniques were used to create separate regression models for protein, carbohydrate and lipid analysis. These models were made within the characteristic wavenumbers of target biomolecules. The predictive power of the regression models was characterized by coefficient of determination (R2), root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP), residual predicted deviation (RPD), and relative error. Results from regression models were also compared to conventional biochemical methods using appropriate mean comparison technique. Results show that PLS models for protein, carbohydrate, and lipids have higher R2 and RPD and lower RMSEP and relative error than multipoint regression. Furthermore, algal composition predicted by PLS-regression are statistically similar to the composition determined via conventional methods. Both regression methods have poor predictive power for lipid content as illustrated by RPD < 1.5 and relative error ≥ 70%. This may be due to indistinct absorbance of the CO ester characteristic band owing to overlaps with the tail of amide I band and due to low lipid content of Spirulina sp. Nevertheless, FTIR spectroscopy coupled with PLS-regression technique proves to be a fast, non-destructive and reliable method in quantifying biomolecules in Spirulina.