Chlorella are source of valuable compounds as lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, bioactive compounds. To continuous obtain the high-value materials of Chlorella protothecoides, we performed continuous cultivation after applying milking techniques to C. ...
Chlorella are source of valuable compounds as lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, bioactive compounds. To continuous obtain the high-value materials of Chlorella protothecoides, we performed continuous cultivation after applying milking techniques to C. protothecoides grown with culture for 7 days in optical panel bioreactor (OPBR) system. Fatty acid and lutein in extracts from pre- and post-milking of C. protothecoides were analyzed using gas chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography, respectively. C. protothecoides were rich in unsaturated fatty acids with a high content of oleic acid(C18:1), which is suitable as a biofuel feedstock. The fatty acid content in pre- and post-milking of C. protothecoides was decreased from 126.424㎎/g d.w. to 119.341㎎/g d.w, and the lutein content decreased from 0.258㎎/g d.w. to 0.178㎎/g d.w. The results of this study demonstrate the feasibility of milking C. protothecoides for production of lipids for biofuels production. It was confirmed that microalgae can continuously obtain lutein present in a trace amount through a continuous culture from milking.