High-throughput platforms for microalgae screening are not yet commercially available. In this study, the feasibility of 96-well microplates was analyzed for microalgae research. Equivalence among wells, as culture microreactors, was investigated in controlled high CO2 conditions. Specific growth rates of two microalgae species, Scenedesmus sp. UTEX1589 and an environmental isolate, were significantly higher in border wells than in internal positions. Furthermore, growth rate gradients analyzed as contours throughout the platform were observed for Scenedesmus sp. However, the output variable exhibited high precision associated with a low coefficient of variation (CV), between 6.8 and 7.8%. In a demonstrative experiment to determine the effect of culture media dilution on six microalgae species, treatments were randomized in the central subset of a microplate. Results were consistent and statistically sound (CV 9.4-12.9%), and showed that microalgae species could grow with no detrimental effect in 50% (v/v) dilution of the culture medium. Provided border wells exclusion and a randomized design, 96-well microplates are a practical and statistical robust platform for microalgae research.

BACKGROUND: The development of efficient processes that will rapidly deliver new biological products to the market is a key goal in biochemical engineering. The establishment of purification processes that permit the recovery of closely related products is essential. The recovery and purification of these types of products is not a trivial task. The current approach exploiting chromatography techniques demands practical alternatives to address the technical and economic constraints. The potential application of countercurrent distribution in aqueous two-phase systems (CCD-ATPS) for the purification of related proteins is an alternative of great potential worth considering.

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