The Fusion of Microfluidics and Optics for On-Chip Detection and Characterization of Microalgae

Abstract

It has been demonstrated that microalgae play an important role in the food, agriculture and medicine industries. Additionally, the identification and counting of the microalgae are also a critical step in evaluating water quality, and some lipid-rich microalgae species even have the potential to be an alternative to fossil fuels. However, current technologies for the detection and analysis of microalgae are costly, labor-intensive, time-consuming and throughput limited. In the past few years, microfluidic chips integrating optical components have emerged as powerful tools that can be used for the analysis of microalgae with high specificity, sensitivity and throughput. In this paper, we review recent optofluidic lab-on-chip systems and techniques used for microalgal detection and characterization. We introduce three optofluidic technologies that are based on fluorescence, Raman spectroscopy and imaging-based flow cytometry, each of which can achieve the determination of cell viability, lipid content, metabolic heterogeneity and counting. We analyze and summarize the merits and drawbacks of these micro-systems and conclude the direction of the future development of the optofluidic platforms applied in microalgal research.

Machine learning for microalgae detection and utilization

“…The data processed by machine learning algorithms are microalgae images obtained through microscopy, so no-marker and invasion-free data acquisition can be achieved. The operations avoid the tedious process of traditional staining and labeling steps and the damage to the microalgae growth environment (Zheng et al, 2021).…”

Study on Microfluidic Chip Flow Rate Uniformity for Cell Activity Detection

“…With the introduction of micro-total-analysis systems and lab-on-a-chip, − cell viability detection tends to miniaturization, portability, low pollution, low cost, and easy operation. One of the most promising technologies is cell viability detection inside a microfluidic chip .…”

Response of Coccomyxa cimbrica sp.nov. to Increasing Doses of Cu(II) as a Function of Time: Comparison between Exposure in a Microfluidic Device or with Standard Protocols

“…Until now, extension of such devices to plant cells has been limited, although there is a growing trend, especially in the field of microalgae [ 21 , 22 ]. Prototype “lab on a chip” devices have been developed for the identification and selection of microalgal species characterized by a high level of lipids, useful in the field of biofuel production [ 23 , 24 , 25 ].…”