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Comparison of monocultures and a mixed culture of three Chlorellaceae strains to optimize biomass production and biochemical content in microalgae grown in a greenhouse

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Abstract

Light and temperature are important environmental conditions affecting microalgal growth in outdoor culture. It is essential to evaluate microalgae strains growing under outdoor conditions where they are subjected to variable environmental parameters. The present study investigated three Chlorellaceae strains (Micractinium sp. MACC-728, Chlorella sorokiniana MACC-438, and C. sorokiniana MACC-452) and a mixed culture combining these three strains. Cultures were grown in 2-L bioreactors in a greenhouse over 3 months to assess the effects of high temperature and light on their growth, macromolecule content, and antioxidant and plant-stimulating bioactivities. The most influential environmental parameters on growth were average air temperature and the sum of photosynthetically active radiation, followed by maximum air temperature. The most affected growth parameter was daily change in cell number. Chlorella sorokiniana MACC-438 produced the lowest biomass and was most affected by the high temperature and light conditions. Micractinium sp. produced the highest biomass and was least affected, suggesting it was the most suitable strain for outdoor cultivation. The mixed Chlorellaceae culture performed well in biomass production, exceeding C. sorokiniana monocultures but significantly underyielding in lipid content. Antioxidant activity and the root-stimulating activity varied with strain and culture age. Micractinium sp. had the highest but most variable antioxidant and plant-stimulating activity. Bioactivity in the mixed culture was more consistent, remaining high regardless of culture age and environmental conditions. Thus, mixed cultures of productive strains could be a useful strategy to ensure stable and high-quality biomass production in outdoor cultivation with fluctuating environmental conditions.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during this study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Funding

This research was funded by the project SABANA (grant number 727874) from the European Union Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program and the EFOP-3.6.3-VEKOP-16–2017-00008 project co-funded by the European Union and European Social Fund. This work was also supported by the Hungarian NKFIH project FK123899 (GM) and by the Lendület-Programme (GM) of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (LP2020-5/2020). The University of KwaZulu-Natal is thanked for financial support (WS and JvS).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Centre for Plant Growth and Development, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, P/Bag X 01, Scottsville, 3209, South Africa

    Wendy A. Stirk, Johannes van Staden & Vince Ördög

  2. Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Széchenyi István University, Kolbai K. Str. 8, 9200, Mosonmagyaróvár, Hungary

    Péter Bálint & Vince Ördög

  3. Institute of Plant Biology, Biological Research Centre, Temesvári krt. 62, 6726, Szeged, Hungary

    Gergely Maróti

  4. Department of Water and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Széchenyi István University, Vár Square 2, 9200, Mosonmagyaróvár, Hungary

    Zoltán Varga

  5. Institute of Mathematics, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Informatics, University of Miskolc, 3515, Miskolc-Egyetemváros, Hungary

    Zsuzsanna Lantos

Authors
  1. Wendy A. Stirk
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  2. Péter Bálint
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  3. Gergely Maróti
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  4. Zoltán Varga
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  5. Zsuzsanna Lantos
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  6. Johannes van Staden
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  7. Vince Ördög
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Contributions

WAS wrote the manuscript and carried out the antioxidant and mung bean assays; PB conducted the growth experiments; GM conducted the molecular identification; ZV participated in the collection and processing of the meteorological data and the assessment of the meteorological impacts; ZL carried out the statistical analysis; JvS edited the manuscript; and VÖ conceptualized and designed the experiment and edited the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wendy A. Stirk.

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Supplementary Information

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Online Resource 1 Cultivation tubes (2 L) used to grow the microalgae in a greenhouse (PDF 128 KB)

10811_2021_2515_MOESM2_ESM.pdf

Online Resource 2 Effect of temperature on a) biomass (DW), b) lipid content and c) protein content of the three microalgae strains used in the current experiment. Cultures were grown in laboratory conditions in modified Tamiya medium where N was reduced to 21 mg L-1 N (3% N). Cultures were harvested on day 3 and day 6 (PDF 105 KB)

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Stirk, W.A., Bálint, P., Maróti, G. et al. Comparison of monocultures and a mixed culture of three Chlorellaceae strains to optimize biomass production and biochemical content in microalgae grown in a greenhouse. J Appl Phycol 33, 2755–2766 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-021-02515-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-021-02515-y

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