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Photosynthesis and pigment production: elucidation of the interactive effects of nutrients and light on Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

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Abstract

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii produces a variety of compounds that can be beneficial to human and animal health. Among these compounds, application of photosynthetic pigments, such as chlorophylls and carotenoids, has gained considerable interest in numerous industries. A better understanding on the interactive effects of essential nutrients and light on microalgal physiology and pigment production would be beneficial in improving cultivation strategies. Therefore, this study evaluated biomass, carotenoid and chlorophyll yield and the following fluorescence parameters: quantum yield in PS II [Y(II)] and electron transport rate (ETR) using response surface methodology (RSM). The Fv/Fm, Y(NO) and Y(NPQ) were also monitored; however, no significant relationship was observed. From the investigation it was apparent that nitrogen and carbon; as well as the interactive effects of (nitrogen and carbon) and (carbon and light irradiance) were significant factors. The model predicted the optimum conditions for maximum carotenoids (8.15 ± 0.389 mg g−1) were 08.7 mol l−1 of nitrogen, 0.2 mol l−1 and 50 μmol photon m−2 s−1 of light irradiance. While maximum chlorophyll (33.6 ± 0.854 mg g−1) required a higher nitrogen (11.21 mol l−1). The photosynthetic parameters [Y(II), ETR] was correlated with the primary pigments and biomass production. Increased photosynthetic activity was associated with high carbon and light. The Y(II)and ETR of PSII under these conditions were 0.2 and ~ 14, respectively. This approach was accurate in developing the model, optimizing factors and analysing interaction effects. This study served to provide a better understanding on the interactions between factors influencing pigment biosynthesis and photosynthetic performance of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

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

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank our colleagues at the Institute for Water and Wastewater Technology (IWWT) and Durban University of Technology (DUT) for their support and guidance.

Funding

This study was funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF-SARChi), Grant Number 84166.

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  1. Institute for Water and Wastewater Technology, Durban University of Technology, Durban, 4001, South Africa

    Trisha Mogany, Virthie Bhola, Luveshan Ramanna & Faizal Bux

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  1. Trisha Mogany
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  2. Virthie Bhola
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  4. Faizal Bux
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All the authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by TM, VB and LR. All the authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Faizal Bux.

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Mogany, T., Bhola, V., Ramanna, L. et al. Photosynthesis and pigment production: elucidation of the interactive effects of nutrients and light on Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Bioprocess Biosyst Eng 45, 187–201 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-021-02651-2

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