The method of industrial cultivation of valuable microalgae rich in polysaccharides was developed by scientists of BFU named after I. Kant. With the help of polysaccharides, it is possible to establish intestinal blood flow, populate the intestines with useful bacteria, as well as accelerate the elimination of food and chemical mutagens from the human body. The results are published in the Journal of Applied Biology & Biotechnology.
Microalgae are marine and freshwater single-celled organisms invisible to the naked eye. According to scientists, they have anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, immunomodulatory and anticarcinogenic activity. However, there is still no reliable data in the world that can be used to establish a stable process of microalgae cultivation on an industrial scale.
Researchers of the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University (BFU named after I. Kant) found out that each of the three strains of microalgae of the genus Porphyridium requires individual environmental and lighting parameters. Then the ideal combinations of these parameters were selected. According to their forecasts, this will allow to cultivate the right volumes of microalgae, which can give a large number of high-quality polysaccharides during processing.
According to the director of the scientific and educational center “Industrial Biotechnologies” of BFU named after I. Kanta Olga Babich, polysaccharides derived from marine microalgae, are used in medicine, food and feed industries; they belong to complex carbohydrates and serve as a source of energy for the renewal of body cells.
In particular, scientists have concluded that the low content of potassium nitrate stimulates the production of polysaccharides in all three microalgae. Meanwhile, the addition of sodium chloride to the nutrient medium had a positive effect on the Porphyridium cruentum Näg microalgae, and the negative effect on the Porphyridium sordidum Geitl microalgae. In addition, they changed the lighting. It turned out that blue light (in the range of 430 nm) has a bad effect on the growth of Porphyridium sordidum Geitl, although it is traditionally believed that blue light always contributes to the growth of biomass.
“Polysaccharides are produced by different plants, but microalgae are good because they grow very quickly and are a renewable, environmentally friendly and non-toxic resource,” said Olga Babich, stressing that the proper organization of the cultivation of microalgae rich in high-quality polysaccharides will give a serious competitive advantage for the development of production.
“With the use of microalgae exopolysaccharides, it will be possible to create products for weight loss, combat age-related changes, sports nutrition and maintain a healthy lifestyle,” Babich added.
In addition, according to her, microalgae are a source of sulfated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids (arachidonic and eicosapentaenoic acids), phycobiliprotein, phycoerythrin and protein.
BFU also said that research on microalgae cultivation is carried out around the world, but it focuses on a small number of species, mainly from the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. According to scientists, most of the research is fundamental and has no applied value: “in world science there is still no full understanding of the mechanisms of microalgae biomass accumulation technology, the production of exopolysaccharides and the principles of managing the total cost of the cultivation process.”
The study is carried out within the framework of scientific cooperation between BFU and the University of Clermont Auvergne (France) and with the financial support of the Ministry of Education and Science within the framework of the state program “Scientific and Technological Development of the Russian Federation”. In the future, scientists plan to study the potential of the obtained polysaccharides for the development of drugs for the prevention of diabetes, hypertension, anemia and gastric ulcer.
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