Cultivo indoor da microalga Synechococcus nidulans em meio NPK e análise proteica parcial da biomassa microalgal

Abstract

Microalgae have high biodiversity, in addition to a biomass rich in molecules of high added value, such as proteins, lipids and dyes, which have numerous possibilities of application in different market niches, in addition to the possibility of use in the production of biofuels, biopolymers, use as bioremediators, etc. However, microalgae are still little explored, even with their high potential of use. In this sense, this work aimed to study the indoor cultivation of the microalgae specie Synechococcus nidulans in NPK medium, analyzing the biomass production and the protein profile obtained from this cultivation. Initially, the growth of the microalgae was done in a rectangular flat plate photobioreactor in the NPK medium, during the period of 10 days, with the purpose of accumulating biomass. From this biomass obtained, initially the growth of S. nidulans was evaluated through a standard curve, and also the analysis of the chlorophyll a content. Subsequently, an elementary study of microalgal biomass was carried out, verifying, among other information, the presence of 34.64% of total proteins, 27.40% of total lipids and 18.72% of total carbohydrates in its composition. Then, using a microalgal cell lysis protocol, the total protein concentrations of the microalgal crude extract (EBM) and the Protein Rich Precipitated Fraction (FPRP) 60-80%, obtained through ammonium sulfate precipitation, were determined, with a higher concentration of total proteins (4.28 mg.mL-1) in FPRP than in EBM (2.31 mg.mL-1).