A quick colorimetric method for total lipid quantification in microalgae

Avinesh R Byreddy; Adarsha Gupta; Colin J Barrow; Munish Puri

doi:10.1016/j.mimet.2016.04.002

A quick colorimetric method for total lipid quantification in microalgae

J Microbiol Methods. 2016 Jun:125:28-32. doi: 10.1016/j.mimet.2016.04.002. Epub 2016 Apr 2.

Authors

Avinesh R Byreddy¹, Adarsha Gupta¹, Colin J Barrow¹, Munish Puri²

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Chemistry and Biotechnology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Waurn Ponds, Geelong, Deakin University, Victoria 3217, Australia.
² Centre for Chemistry and Biotechnology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Waurn Ponds, Geelong, Deakin University, Victoria 3217, Australia. Electronic address: munish.puri@deakin.edu.au.

PMID: 27050419
DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2016.04.002

Abstract

Discovering microalgae with high lipid productivity are among the key milestones for achieving sustainable biodiesel production. Current methods of lipid quantification are time intensive and costly. A rapid colorimetric method based on sulfo-phospho-vanillin (SPV) reaction was developed for the quantification of microbial lipids to facilitate screening for lipid producing microalgae. This method was successfully tested on marine thraustochytrid strains and vegetable oils. The colorimetric method results correlated well with gravimetric method estimates. The new method was less time consuming than gravimetric analysis and is quantitative for lipid determination, even in the presence of carbohydrates, proteins and glycerol.

Keywords: Algae; Biodiesel; Esterification; Industrial biotechnology; Vanillin.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Benzaldehydes
Biofuels
Colorimetry / methods*
Data Accuracy
Esterification
Industrial Microbiology
Lipids / analysis*
Microalgae / chemistry*
Plant Oils / chemistry

Substances

Benzaldehydes
Biofuels
Lipids
Plant Oils
vanillin