Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
8087478 | Algal Research | 2016 | 7 Pages |
Abstract
Aquafeeds rely heavily on fishmeal as the major protein source. However, the recent increase in the price of fishmeal and sharp decrease in fish resources have resulted in a major threat to the aquaculture industry. Therefore, cost-effective and sustainable fishmeal alternatives should be found. While microalgae are considered a promising alternative to fishmeal, the cultivation scale should be enlarged and its protein production cost should be much lower. In this study, Chlorella vulgaris FSP-E was grown in 50-liter outdoor photobioreactors (PBRs) to produce microalgal proteins. Using the optimum urea concentration (18.6Â mM), inoculum size (0.2Â g/L) and aeration rate (0.05Â vvm), the maximum biomass productivity (268.1Â mg/L/d) and protein productivity (155.4Â mg/L/d) were obtained. Semi-batch operation with a 50% medium replacement ratio attained a high protein content and productivity of 52.2% and 125.2Â mg/L/d, respectively. The resulting microalgal protein contained 60.3% indispensable amino acids, thus possessing a high commercial value.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
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Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
Authors
Chun-Yen Chen, Yu-Han Chang, Hsin-Yueh Chang,