A rapid sampling technique for isolating highly productive lipid-rich algae strains from environmental samples

Abstract

Strain selection and isolation of lipid-rich microalgae are among the two most important steps for screening isolates with maximum biofuel productivity. In this work, we introduce a novel direct sampling technique that allows native strains to be selected for rapid growth under defined conditions followed by direct selection of product-rich species, two desirable characteristics of algae for mass culture. This sampling strategy directly selects the lipid-rich strains visualized under an inverted fluorescence microscope using an X-Y-Z micromanipulator. The enrichment step can be manipulated to select for strains with specific technological applications. Direct sampling of lipid-rich cells avoids the tedious task of screening isolates while using relatively inexpensive equipment.