Spirulina Species Research Articles

Evaluating the Potential of Marine Algae as Sustainable Ingredients in Poultry Feed

Algae are a complex source of crucial nutrients, including proteins, minerals, vitamins, and carbohydrates. The use of marine algae, specifically Sargassum species, Gracilaria species, and Spirulina species, as feed ingredients in poultry feed was examined in the current research. This study’s aims were to carry out lipid profiling, proximate analysis, and heavy metal toxicity testing, as well as to evaluate the presence of hazardous hydrocarbons in the algae and investigate the effect of the fatty acid profile of Sargassum species on broilers. The proximate analysis was conducted on the algae types containing considerable quantities of fats and proteins and a sizable quantity of omega-3 fatty acids. This research assessed the productive effectiveness of broilers with 2.5%, 6%, and 10% algal additions in their diet. Fatty acid profiling of Sargassum species was performed at 1% and 2% levels in the bursa, fat pads, heart, liver, spleen, thymus, thighs, and breast. The findings showed no significant differences in the development performance or feed utilization efficiency of broilers with 2.5%, 6%, and 10% algae supplementation in their diet. The results of fatty acid profiling showed changes in the heart, liver, and spleen at 1% and 2% supplementations levels. However, this research concludes that if algae partially replaces the imported feed proteins used in animal feed, then these can achieve maximum beneficial effects on poultry health and performance. Algae are sustainable, easy to produce, and cost-effective sources of nutrients and contain numerous bioactive compounds, which will contribute to sustainability and food safety.

Spirulina/Arthrospira/Limnospira-Three Names of the Single Organism.

Recent advances in research techniques have enabled rapid progress in the study of spirulina, an ancient edible cyanobacteria. Nowadays, spirulina species are classified into three genera: Spirulina, Arthrospira, and Limnospira. The latter now refers to industrially manufactured spirulina strains. Whole-genome sequencing revealed gene clusters involved in metabolite production, and the physiology of spirulina. Omics technologies demonstrated the absence of hazardous compounds in spirulina cells, confirming the safety of this biomass as a food product. Spirulina is a good source of different chemicals used in food manufacturing, food supplements, and pharmaceuticals. Spirulina's enrichment with inherent biologically active substances makes it a potential supplier of natural products for dietary and pharmaceutical applications. Spirulina is also a prospective component of both terrestrial and space-based life support systems. Here, we review current breakthroughs in spirulina research and clarify fallacies that can be found in both professional literature and public media.

Bioethanol Production from Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) by Microwave-Assisted Acid Hydrolysis Pretreatment

The world's high consumption of fossil energy increases carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The depletion of fossil fuel sources, combined with rising CO2 emissions, has prompted intensive research into renewable energy sources. Bioethanol is an environmentally friendly energy source that has the potential to reduce reliance on gasoline. Bioethanol is produced through the fermentation of monosaccharides. The first and second generations of bioethanol are derived, respectively, from food crops, agricultural waste, and plantations, while the third generation is derived from algae. However, the third generation bioethanol research is still being conducted intensively to develop an optimal process. Macro/microalgae are low-level plants that have the potential to become raw materials for bioethanol. Arthrospira platensis, a spirulina species, is a microalgae with a high carbohydrate content. Apart from that, this type of microalgae is easy to cultivate and grow. This research aims to determine the reducing sugar content which are monosaccharides produced from acid hydrolysis using a microwave at a temperature of 100 °C for 60 – 120 minutes with 0.2 M H2SO4 as the solvent. The hydrolysate obtained was then fermented anaerobically with Saccharomyces cerevisiae in a shaking water bath. The High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) test was carried out to identify the reducing sugar groups in the hydrolysate. Moreover, the solid content of the biochar remaining from the hydrolysis process was analyzed using Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR). From the test results, it was found that the highest concentration of D-glucose (1.19 g/L) occurred at 90 minutes of the hydrolysis. In addition, the hydrolysis of microalgae was also carried out with 0.3 M H2SO4 solvent for 90 minutes. The hydrolysate was then fermented for 96 hours. From the distillation process, it was obtained a bioethanol yield of 2.89%.

Comparative Analysis of Purification and Characterization Process of Phycocyanin Pigment from Spirulina Subsalsa with Arthrospira Platensis from Mexico

The Arthrospira maxima, Spirulina major, and Spirulina subsalsa are plenty available in Mexican lakes and ponds. This cyanobacterium is used as an important dietary supplement due to its high protein content and vitamins. However, the most commercial strain in use is A. platensis, and very few reports exist on other Spirulina species from Mexico and their potential phycocyanin production. To use at a commercial scale, it is essential to evaluate native strains in an efficient purification process. In this work, we demonstrated the potential of Spirulina subsalsa for phycocyanin pigment production and purification process, compared with native A. platensis from Mexico. The biomass yield with S. subsalsa was 4.50±0.10 g/Lt, which was higher than A. platensis, which was 1.36 g/lt. The crude phycocyanin pigment from S. subsalsa was 267±0.37 mg/g, whereas 221±0.04mg/g in the case of A. platensis. After partial purification, we found a higher purity grade in S. subsalsa, with a higher yield and a recovery percent of 39.75%. In the case of A. platensis, after partial purification, the recovery percentage was 35.37. After ionic chromatography purification, the purity of phycocyanin was 2.57±0.03 in the case of S. subsalsa, whereas 1.91±0.02 in the case of A. platensis. SDS gel electrophoresis demonstrated two phycocyanin bands showing 17 kDa and 12 kDa in the case of both species. The two-step purification process functions very well for S. subsalsa species, whereas A. platensis demonstrated efficiency with one step. The extracted C-PC from S. Sulsalsa is safe as per the cytotoxicity assay.

Spirulina (Arthrospira fusiformis, Gomont 1892) as a High-Quality Feed Ingredient for Nile Tilapia Fingerlings

A partially randomized experimental design was conducted to evaluate the effect and potential of spirulina species (Arthrospira fusiformis) isolated from Momela Lakes, Tanzania, on the growth, antioxidant capacity, feed utilization, and body composition of Nile tilapia fingerlings. Five dietary treatments were formulated, including spirulina meal at 5%, 10%, and 15% of the total diets, as well as control diets with freshwater shrimp or Lake Victoria sardine. The protein content of the experimental diets was 25, 28, and 35% for a treatment containing spirulina at 5, 10, and 15% inclusion, respectively, while the control diets had 35% crude protein each. After eight weeks of feeding, fish fed with a lower inclusion level of spirulina showed the best growth performance and feed utilization efficiency, similar to the fish fed with control diets. The group fed with 5% spirulina exhibited excellent protein efficiency ratio compared to all other fish groups. All spirulina-fed fish groups demonstrated higher protein deposition and strong antioxidant activity against free radicals compared to those fed with control diets. In conclusion, spirulina proves to be a superior feed ingredient for high-quality Nile tilapia farming, providing comparable results to control feeds.

YOLOx model-based object detection for microalgal bioprocess

Microalgae can fix carbon dioxide from flue gases and utilize nutrients from wastewater while producing valuable biomass production of biofuels, chemicals, and fertilizers. Microalgae detection is of great significance for identifying mixed algae species in nature. Unfortunately, current manual detection methods are time-consuming, low in precision, and poor in universality. A YOLOx-s-based microalgae detection method was first proposed in this study, which uses a multi-scale and multi-morphology microalgae (Chlorella, Scenedesmus, and Spirulina species) image dataset as model input. When Focal Loss was selected for the classification loss, the number imbalance problem in microalgal detection was solved. As DIoU Loss was employed in regression loss, tiny-scale microalgae were well detected with shortened 20.24 % processing time, and the ASFF module benefited the overall model performance by fusing features. The Precision and Recall of improved YOLOx-s in detecting microalgae achieved 95.93 % and 93.48 %, and the mAP was improved by 3.33 % compared to the original YOLOx-s.

Microscopic and Biochemical Identification of Spirulina spp. for its Biomass Cultivation by Using Different Types of Photobioreactors at Lab and Pilot Scale

This study enlightens the methods used for the identification as well as the growth of Spirulina species in Pakistan. Spirulina was identified based on morphology using microscopic technique along with its biochemical identification using SDS PAGE. After the endorsement of spirulina species via microscopy and SDS PAGE, Spirulina was subjected to growth in Zarrouk’s media. Efficacy of growth was observed using three different methods Tubular photobioreactors, Fed-batch photobioreactors, and Attached cultivation which boosts the yield of Spirulina biomass via improving its biochemical composition. Hence, it concludes that production of the Spirulina using tubular photobioreactors on pilot-scale yields cost-effective benefits and provides us with an enhanced biochemical content ratio of Spirulina and can easily be identified by using several approaches including biochemical, molecular, and microscopic methods.

Impacts of Fortifying Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) Diet with Different Strains of Microalgae on Its Performance, Fillet Quality and Disease Resistance to Aeromonas hydrophila Considering the Interplay between Antioxidant and Inflammatory Response.

The oxidative stress facing fish during intensive production brings about diseases and mortalities that negatively influence their performance. Along with that, the increased awareness of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3-PUFAs) health benefits has been triggered the introduction of alternative additives in aqua feed that cause not only modulation in fish immune response but also fortification of their fillet. In this context, the role of microalgae mix (NSS) containing Nannochloropsis oculate and Schizochytrium and Spirulina species, which were enriched with bioactive molecules, especially EPA and DHA, was assessed on Nile tilapia's performance, fillet antioxidant stability, immune response, and disease resistance. Varying levels of NSS (0.75, 1.5, and 3%) were added to Nile tilapia's diet for 12 weeks and then a challenge of fish with virulent Aeromonas hydrophila (A. hydrophila) was carried out. Results showed that groups fed NSS, especially at higher levels, showed an improved WG and FCR, which corresponded with enhanced digestive enzymes' activities. Higher T-AOC was detected in muscle tissues of NSS3.0% fed fish with remarkable reduction in ROS, H2O2, and MDA contents, which came in parallel with upregulation of GSH-Px, CAT, and SOD genes. Notably, the contents of EPA and DHA in fillet were significantly increased with increasing the NSS levels. The mean log10 counts of pathogenic Vibrio and Staphylococcus species were reduced, and conversely, the populations of beneficial Lactobacillus and Bacillus species were increased more eminent after supplementation of NSS3.0% and NSS1.5%. Moreover, regulation of the immune response (lysozyme, IgM, ACH50, NO, and MPO), upregulation of IL-10, TGF-β, and IgM, and downregulation of IL-1β, TNF-α, HSP70,and COX-2 were observed following dietary higher NSS levels. After challenge, reduction in A. hydrophila counts was more prominent, especially in NSS3.0% supplemented group. Taken together, the current study encourages the incorporation of such microalgae mix in Nile tilapia's diet for targeting maximum performance, superior fillet quality, and protection against A. hydrophila.

Co-liquefaction of Tunçbilek lignite with algae (spirulina species): Effect of process parameters and characterization of chars and oils

Nowadays, to reduce the cost of coal liquefaction and to produce a new liquid fuel alternative to petroleum, it is considered a more convenient method to liquefy coal and biomass together instead of solely coal liquefaction. Liquefaction experiments were carried out by changing the solvent/solid ratio of 1/1–5/1, reaction temperature 320–400 °C, reaction time 30–90 min, and algae/lignite ratio in the range of 1/1–5/1. As a result of this study, the most suitable process parameters obtained by considering total conversion are; solvent/solid ratio 3/1, reaction time 60 min, algae/lignite ratio 4/1, and reaction temperature 380 °C. Under these conditions, the highest total conversion is approximately 80% and 77% in catalytic and non-catalytic conditions, respectively. Under non-catalytic conditions of co-liquefaction experiments due to the GC-MS results, cyclopentane (raw material of motor oil), pentadecane, 2-methyl-naphthalene, octa-ethylene glycol, ethylene oxide heptamer are the main products of optimum parameters aforementioned for oil. They are mainly used in fuel technology and used in the chemical industry as raw materials mean low-cost production as well.

An Overview on Spirullina Chocolate as Unique Nutraceutical

The aim of this work was to evaluate the spirulina dry biomass which is known as greater protein and amino acids source in blue green algae as an innovative ingredient for newly formulated produced chocolates for baby and children diets. Children have great need for nutrients such as calcium, iron, zinc, protein and vitamin B12. Spirulina satisfies your child’s nutritional need by providing all these nutrients as well as essential amino acids. Spirulina species has several pharmacological activities such as antimicrobial, anticancer, metalloprotective as well as immunostimulant and antioxidant effects due to its rich content of protein, polysaccharide, lipid, essential amino acids, dietary minerals and vitamins.

A Review On The Potential Of Spirulina And Its Application In Nutraceuticals And Pharmaceuticals

Microalgae and lactic acid bacteria have become an innovative and promising resource of nutritional supplements as they are commercially cultivated to produce valuable compounds, including protein, pigments, lipids, essential amino acids, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, carotenoids, steroids and vitamins. The pharmacological actions, such as nutraceutical improvements, lowering LDL cholesterol levels, anti-inflammation, antioxidation, antitumor, immunological enhancement, and hepatorenal protection from Spirulina spp and Lactic acid Bacillus have been reported recently. Based on the therapeutic potential of spriulina fermentation based lactic acid bacteria, different application studies such as, determining the effect of Spirulina fermentation with Lactic acid bacteria (FSL) on enhancing the Nutraceutical properties of Spirulina species, investigating the effect of Spirulina fermentation with Lactic acid bacteria (FSL) on lowering the LDL cholesterol and increasing HDL cholesterol, and evaluating the cytotoxic effect and influence of FSL on human cancer cell line was reviewed in the current article.

Low dose UV-B radiation induced mild oxidative stress impact on physiological and nutritional competence of Spirulina (Arthrospira) species

Among the various Spirulina species, Spirulina maxima (S. maxima) and Spirulina platensis (S. platensis) are used mainly as human dietary supplements, whole food, and feed supplement in aquaculture, aquarium and poultry industries due to their potential nutritional and medicinal benefits. Therefore, our study was undertaken to ascertain the impact of mild stress conditions via exposure of different mild fluence rates of ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation (exposure of 0.016, 0.065 and 0.196 Jm−2s−1 or Wm−1 denoted as UV-B1, UV-B2 and UV-B3) on exponentially grown cultures of two species of Spirulina, i.e. S. maxima and S. platensis. Mild stressing induced by low dose, i. e. UV-B1 showed positive impacts as a resilience response, resulting in increased physiological and nutritional competencies in growth, pigment content, photosynthetic oxygen yield, fluorescence parameters, protein, carbohydrates, and antioxidative properties in the test organisms analyzed after 72 h of experiments. Such mild stress adapted elite strains with enhanced competencies under mild stressing may pave the way for potential application from the prospects of functional food development when utilized as a functional ingredient to incorporate in them.

Isolation, identification, and inhibitory enzyme activity of phenolic substances present in Spirulina.

Spirulina species are edible with high nutritional as well as potential therapeutic values. In this work, we show that phenolic extracts from Spirulina (p-Coumaric acid) possessed inhibitory potential on α-glucosidase (IC50 =1.67±0.02mM) and tyrosinase (IC50 =52.71±3.01mM). Moreover, p-Coumaric acid inhibited α-glucosidase and tyrosinase in a reversible mixed-type manner. Interestingly, molecular docking demonstrated that p-Coumaric acid penetrated in depth of the active-site of tyrosinase and α-glucosidase by the noncovalent force or interaction. Among them, making polar interactions with Cu2+ ions and the amino acid residue capable of forming cation-π significantly contribute to the strong binding of p-Coumaric acid on tyrosinase. p-Coumaric acid was isolated and identified from Spirulina for the first time, which can be used as a lead compound for the design of functional food additives and skin-lightening active ingredient in cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals against type 2 diabetes. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: A natural, food-derived compound possessing the potential for the development of an anti-hyperglycaemic and skin-lightening supplement is very promising in cosmetics, functional food, and pharmaceuticals against type 2 diabetes. Herein, the present study is the first to present high levels of p-Coumaric acid from Spirulina, which simultaneously possessed inhibition potential on α-glucosidase and tyrosinase. Importantly, we gained initial information about the polypeptide-inhibitor interactions and underlying mechanisms for Spirulina's therapeutic effects, which will provide the bases for developing new drugs for preventing or treating type 2 diabetes and enzyme inhibitors. Moreover, this work also demonstrates the potential of the extraction of high-value chemicals from Spirulina waste.

Large-Scale Cultivation of Spirulina for Biological CO2 Mitigation in Open Raceway Ponds Using Purified CO2 From a Coal Chemical Flue Gas.

In order to select excellent strains with high CO2 fixation capability on a large scale, nine Spirulina species were cultivated in columnar photobioreactors with the addition of 10% CO2. The two species selected (208 and 220) were optimized for pH value, total dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), and phosphorus content with intermittent CO2 addition in 4 m2 indoor raceway ponds. On the basis of biomass accumulation and CO2 fixation rate in the present study, the optimum pH, DIC, and phosphate concentration were 9.5, 0.1 mol L−1, and 200 mg L−1 for both strains, respectively. Lastly, the two strains selected were semi-continuously cultivated successfully for CO2 mitigation in 605 m2 raceway ponds aerated with food-grade CO2 purified from a coal chemical flue gas on a large scale. The daily average biomass dry weight of the two stains reached up to 18.7 and 13.2 g m−2 d−1, respectively, suggesting the two Spirulina strains can be utilized for mass production.

Biomass and nutritive value of Spirulina (Arthrospira fusiformis) cultivated in a cost-effective medium

IntroductionCultivation of spirulina at commercial-scales relies on analytical grade–based media, which are expensive and so are the product.PurposeThis study assessed the biomass, proximate composition, and other useful compounds in Spirulina (Arthrospira fusiformis) produced with a cost-effective culture medium (LCMA), and the results were compared with those from a standard Zarrouk medium–grown spirulina.MethodsThe LCMA medium was formulated by using a commercial NPK10-20-20 fertilizer as a source of the three major nutrients for spirulina growth, and other three ingredients from Zarrouk medium. The experiment was conducted for 28 days in the glass aquaria under indoor conditions. Standard analytical methods were applied for the determination of proximate composition, chlorophyll, minerals, and vitamins in the spirulina biomass.ResultThe LCMA medium showed the best growth conditions by accumulating higher chlorophyll content (0.99 ± 0.02%) and dry weight (0.75 ± 0.01 g/100 ml) as well as attaining higher optical density (2.06 at day 15) earlier than the Zarrouk medium. The results of the proximate analysis for spirulina cultured in the LCMA medium were of good quality, with the protein contributing more than 50% of its dry matter. It was further noticed that the LCMA was an ideal medium for optimization of vitamins and some minerals since it recorded a significant amount of most of the analyzed vitamins together with the minerals sodium and potassium compared with the Zarrouk medium.ConclusionIt is suggested that LCMA medium could be used as the alternative and cheap medium for maximization of biomass and production of useful biochemical compounds in spirulina species.

Spirulina (Arthrospira fusiformis) as a potential protein source in practical diets for fry mariculture of Rufiji tilapia (Oreochromis urolepis urolepis)

The effects on growth performance, feed utilization, survival and whole fish body proximate composition of replacing fishmeal (Rastrineobola argentea) with a locally available spirulina species (Arthrospira fusiformis) as a protein ingredient in the feed of Rufiji tilapia (Oreochromis urolepis urolepis) fry was examined. Fishmeal replacement with A. fusiformis was carried out at 5%, 15%, 25%, 35% and 100% (S5, S15, S25, S35 and S100), and the effect of the replacement was compared with the control diet (S0, 0% spirulina). Fish fry were stocked at an average initial weight of 0.57 g at 10 fish per 0.1 m3 and cultured for 60 days using full strength salt water (30-35 ppt). A. fusiformis was isolated from Momela Lake in Arusha National Park, Tanzania and propagated using selected culture media. It was observed that fish fry fed spirulina at a 5% fishmeal substitution level diet had better (p<0.05) final weight (8.48), average daily weight gain (0.132), specific growth rate (4.47), feed conversion rate (2.08) and protein efficiency ratio (1.37) compared to the control fish group. Growth performance in fish fed diet S15 was comparable with the control group (p>0.05). Spirulina supplementation had no effect on fish survival rates and meat quality. It appears that the Momella Lake spirulina may be an appropriate growth-stimulating plant protein when used as a feed additive in Rufiji tilapia mariculture.

Biomass production and growth performance of Momela Lake’s spirulina (<i>Arthrospira fusiformis</i>) cultured under urea and N: P: K fertilizers as cheaper nitrogen sources

Spirulina species are world widely known for their ability to produce high quantities of useful metabolites such as protein, fatty acids and vitamins. One of the major challenges in production of this microalgae is the cost and composition of culture medium. In the present study, effect of two culture media with agricultural fertilizers as nitrogen sources viz. urea containing medium (UM) and N: P: K containing medium (NPKM) on production of a locally found spirulina (Arthrospira fusiformis) was investigated. Zarrouk medium (ZM) was used as a standard, other culture conditions included 67.5 μmol m-2 s-1 radiation, 10 pH and 30 ºC temperature. A. fusiformis was isolated from Momela Lake in Arusha National Park Tanzania. There was no difference (p > 0.05) in mean biomass production (BMmean) and doubling time (DT) between ZM (1.205 g/L, 1.437 days respectively) and UM (1.168 g/L, 1.63 days respectively). Significantly higher (p < 0.05) maximum biomass BMmax production and exponential growth rate (μ) in a sequential order was from ZM (1.844 g/L, 0.483/day respectively), UM (1.6 g/L, 0.425/day respectively) and NPKM (0.57 g/L, 0.273/day). It appeared that the wild-isolated A. fusiformis was able to grow well in less costly UM showing high potential for mass production.© 2019 International Formulae Group. All rights reserved.Keywords: Momela Lake’s spirulina, biomass production, agricultural fertilizers, nitrogen sources

English

Spirulina species are known to have a good nutritional profile and antioxidant properties against reactive oxygen species. However, little is known about the antioxidant contents and the scavenging ability of Arthrospira fusiformis, cultivated under various conditions. This study aimed at evaluating the content of antioxidants (total phenols, total flavonoids, β-carotene, and lycopene) and the activity of A. fusiformis produced using low-cost culture (LCMA) and standard culture (Zarrouk) media. The results revealed that A. fusiformis is rich in antioxidants and it possesses high scavenging and chelating activities. Interestingly, the LCMA was superior over the Zarrouk medium as it resulted in spirulina with a higher amount of antioxidants and lower EC50 values. In this context, production of natural antioxidants can be maximized through the use of cost-saving, inorganic culture medium. Key words: Arthrospira fusiformis, spirulina, total phenols, total flavonoids, carotenoids, scavenging activity, low-cost culture (LCMA) medium, Zarrouk medium.

Calcium spirulan derived from Spirulina platensis inhibits herpes simplex virus 1 attachment to human keratinocytes and protects against herpes labialis

Chronic infections with herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1 are highly prevalent in populations worldwide and cause recurrent oral lesions in up to 40% of infected subjects. We investigated the antiviral activity of a defined Spirulina platensis microalga extract and of purified calcium spirulan (Ca-SP), a sulfated polysaccharide contained therein. The inhibitory effects of HSV-1 were assessed by using a plaque reduction assay and quantitative PCR in a susceptible mammalian epithelial cell line and confirmed in human keratinocytes. Time-of-addition and attachment experiments and fluorescence detection of the HSV-1 tegument protein VP16 were used to analyze the mechanism of HSV-1 inhibition. Effects of Ca-SP on Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus/human herpes virus 8 replication and uptake of the ORF45 tegument protein were tested in human retinal pigment epithelial cells. In an observational trial the prophylactic effects of topically applied Ca-SP were compared with those of systemic and topical nucleoside analogues in 198 volunteers with recurrent herpes labialis receiving permanent lip makeup. Ca-SP inhibited HSV-1 infection invitro with a potency at least comparable to that of acyclovir by blocking viral attachment and penetration into host cells. Ca-SP also inhibited entry of Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus/human herpes virus 8. In the clinical model of herpes exacerbation, the prophylactic effect of a Ca-SP and microalgae extract containing cream was superior to that of acyclovir cream. These data indicate a potential clinical use of Ca-SP containing Spirulina species extract for the prophylactic treatment of herpes labialis and suggest possible activity of Ca-SP against infections caused by other herpesviruses.

Isolation, Identification and Germplasm Preservation of Different Native <i>Spirulina</i> Species from Western Mexico

Spirulina is an edible algae and has a wide range of pharmaceutical applications in addition to its nutritional value. Isolation and identification of several Spirulina species were conducted in the western part of Mexico especially in the state of Jalisco. The purification strategy consisted of five optimized processing steps: 1) washing and centrifugation, 2) chemical treatment, 3) micromanipulation, 4) serial dilution, and 5) plating. Four species were isolated from different locations and two out of these four species were identified taxonomically up to the species level: Spirulina subsalsa and S. major. For short term conservation (30 days), the strains were maintained in liquid and solid agar medium at 10?C and 4?C. For medium term (few months), they were preserved in solid medium under a dried condition as agar flakes and for long term, cryopreservation was employed by using 5% and 10% DMSO, glycerol and methanol as osmoprotectants in liquid nitrogen. For short term preservation nearly 90% liquid and 100% agar recovered strains were viable after one month at both temperatures. In the case of the agar flakes, cells were viable after three months of conservation at room temperature. Cryopreservation did not give any suitable results after three months of conservation. Variable and two-step improved cryopreservation processes are now in progress for conservation.