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Nitrogen deprivation of microalgae: effect on cell size, cell wall thickness, cell strength, and resistance to mechanical disruption

  • Bioenergy/Biofuels/Biochemicals - Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology

Abstract

Nitrogen deprivation (N-deprivation) is a proven strategy for inducing triacylglyceride accumulation in microalgae. However, its effect on the physical properties of cells and subsequently on product recovery processes is relatively unknown. In this study, the effect of N-deprivation on the cell size, cell wall thickness, and mechanical strength of three microalgae was investigated. As determined by analysis of micrographs from transmission electron microscopy, the average cell size and cell wall thickness for N-deprived Nannochloropsis sp. and Chlorococcum sp. were ca. 25% greater than the N-replete cells, and 20 and 70% greater, respectively, for N-deprived Chlorella sp. The average Young’s modulus of N-deprived Chlorococcum sp. cells was estimated using atomic force microscopy to be 775 kPa; 30% greater than the N-replete population. Although statistically significant, these microstructural changes did not appear to affect the overall susceptibility of cells to mechanical rupture by high pressure homogenisation. This is important as it suggests that subjecting these microalgae to nitrogen starvation to accumulate lipids does not adversely affect the recovery of intracellular lipids.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the Particulate Fluids Processing Centre, a Special Research Centre of the Australian Research Council. This work was performed in part at the Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication (MCN) in the Victorian Node of the Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF) and in the Materials Characterization and Fabrication Platform (MCFP) at the University of Melbourne.

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  1. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia

    Benjamin H. J. Yap, Raymond R. Dagastine, Peter J. Scales & Gregory J. O. Martin

  2. School of Botany, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia

    Simon A. Crawford

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  1. Benjamin H. J. Yap
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Correspondence to Gregory J. O. Martin.

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Yap, B.H.J., Crawford, S.A., Dagastine, R.R. et al. Nitrogen deprivation of microalgae: effect on cell size, cell wall thickness, cell strength, and resistance to mechanical disruption. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 43, 1671–1680 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10295-016-1848-1

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