Detection and identification of a mixed cyanobacteria and microalgae culture using derivative spectrophotometry

Abstract

Early detection and monitoring of algal blooms and potentially toxic cyanobacteria in source waters are becoming increasingly important with rising climate change and industrialization. There is a growing need to measure the mixed microalgae cultures sensitively and accurately, as multiple algae species are present in natural source waters. This study investigated the detection of an equal concentration, mixed-culture of cyanobacteria (Microcystis aeruginosa) and a common green algae (Chlorella vulgaris) in water using UV-Vis spectrophotometry while employing longer pathlengths and derivative spectrophotometry to improve the detection limit. A strong linear relationship (R² > 0.99) was found between the concentration and absorbance of the mixed-culture at 682 nm using 50 and 100 mm pathlengths. This study showed that the cyanobacterial (phycocyanin) peak could be separately identified in mixed-culture setting, while the chlorophyll peaks of both algae overlapped each other. The lowest detection limit of the mixed algal culture using traditional spectrophotometry and derivative spectrophotometry was calculated to be 25,997 cells/mL and 5505 cells/mL using a 100 mm cuvette pathlength. Lastly, the performance of mixed-culture and individual algal cultures were compared, and analyses were carried out to evaluate differences in slopes which can be used for quantification purposes. The results indicate that derivative spectrophotometry significantly improved the detection limit making the method potentially viable for the early detection of mixed algal cultures.

Keywords: Chlorella vulgaris; Cyanobacteria; Derivative spectrophotometry; Microcystis aeruginosa; Monitoring; Water.