Meireles Luís A, Azevedo José L, Cunha João P, Malcata F Xavier
Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Rua Dr António Bernardino de Almeida, P-4200-072 Porto, Portugal.
Biotechnol Prog. 2002 Nov-Dec;18(6):1387-91. doi: 10.1021/bp020283u.
A flow injection analysis (FIA) device has been developed, which is able to assay successfully for biomass in a microalga bioreactor. The device is fully computerized and is operated via diluting small aliquots of the culture followed by measuring optical density (OD); this figure is then accurately correlated with biomass, in terms of both cell number and ash-free dry weight, during the entire culture time. Furthermore, the device is not expensive, is highly versatile, and is easy to operate owing to specifically developed, user-friendly software. The growth rate and biomass productivity of Pavlova lutheri, cultivated under batch and semicontinuous modes, were monitored as experimental testing model.
