Produção de biomassa de Euglena sp. utilizando fertilizantes inorgânicos tipo NPK como cultivos alternativos

Abstract

The use of commercial microalgae has increased in recent years due to its products that have great biotechnological potential and commercial demand. However, problems in the cultivation system mean that productivity is low and production costs are high. Thus, the culture medium becomes a fundamental factor for the maintenance and development of microalgae. The aim of this work is to evaluate the influence of the use of inorganic fertilizers in different proportions of NPK as alternative medium for the cultivation of Euglena sp. The experiments were conducted in tubular photobioreactors under a discontinuous operation system, continuous aeration, isothermal reactor at 25 °C, light intensity of 1 klux. Kinetic parameters, biochemical profile and amino acids were evaluated. The NPK 20:10:15 medium showed the highest cell concentration 687.36 mgL-1 and a biomass productivity of 2.74 mgL-1d-1 being 3 times greater than the control (p <0.05). Biomass of Euglena sp showed high content of proteins, lipids and carbohydrates in addition to all the essential amino acids. The culture medium based on inorganic fertilizers NPK-type were suitable for cultivating Euglena sp. The Euglena biomass obtained has the nutritional level acceptable for use as food and feed products, with a low cost of production.