A simple spectrophotometric method for biomass measurement of important microalgae species in aquaculture

A rapid, simple and specific spectrophotometric methodology for biomass measurements of four microalgae species with high importance in aquaculture was developed. The specific wavelength for the maximum absorbance was established for each of the studied species. With the methodology described here, the harvest time will be easier to identify in facilities where these algae are cultured, and can be also easily tested in other monocultures. In addition, a predictive model was satisfactory and useful for a wide range of cell densities yielding a methodology with high potential for automation. A useful tool was developed for cell counting of microalgae in aquaculture.