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Fed-batch culture of astaxanthin-rich Haematococcus pluvialis by exponential nutrient feeding and stepwise light supplementation

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Abstract

A fed-batch culture process followed by subsequent photoautotrophic induction was established for the high density culture of astaxanthin-rich Haematococcus pluvialis using a CO2-fed flat type photobioreactor under unsynchronized illumination. Fed-batch culture was performed with an exponential feeding strategy of the growth-limiting nutrients, nitrate and phosphate, concurrently with the stepwise supplementation of light depending on the cell concentration. During the growth phase, a biomass of 1.47 g/L was obtained at a biomass productivity of 0.33 g/L/day. Photoautotrophic induction of the well-grown vegetative cells was performed consecutively by increasing the light intensity to 400 μmol photon/m2/s, while keeping the other conditions in the CO2-fed flat type photobioreactor fixed, yielding an astaxanthin production of 190 mg/L at an astaxanthin productivity of 14 mg/L/day. The proposed sequential photoautotrophic process has high potential as simple and productive process for the production of valuable Haematococcus astaxanthin.

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Acknowledgment

This research was supported by a grant (DG2-201) from Carbon Dioxide Reduction & Sequestration Research Center, one of the Twenty-first Century Frontier Programs funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology of Korean government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nano Optics and Biomolecular Engineering National Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, 440-746, Korea

    Chang Duk Kang, Seung Phill Choi & Sang Jun Sim

  2. Polar BioCenter, Korea Polar Research Institute, KORDI, Incheon, 406-840, Korea

    Se Jong Han

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  1. Chang Duk Kang
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  2. Se Jong Han
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  3. Seung Phill Choi
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  4. Sang Jun Sim
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Correspondence to Sang Jun Sim.

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Kang, C.D., Han, S.J., Choi, S.P. et al. Fed-batch culture of astaxanthin-rich Haematococcus pluvialis by exponential nutrient feeding and stepwise light supplementation. Bioprocess Biosyst Eng 33, 133–139 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-009-0362-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-009-0362-5

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