Enhanced Recovery of Food-Grade <i>Euglena gracilis</i> Biomass Through Synergistic pH-Modified Chitosan Flocculation and Green Light Stimulation
The efficient and cost-effective harvesting of food-grade <i>Euglena gracilis</i> remains a critical challenge in microalgal food production. This study presents an innovative, food-safe approach integrating pH preconditioning, chitosan biopolymer flocculation, and green light irradiatio...
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/2/303 |
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| author | Jiangyu Zhu Lan Yang Li Ding Zhengfei Yang Yongqi Yin Minato Wakisaka Shahram Ashouri Mohammadhadi Jazini Weiming Fang |
| author_facet | Jiangyu Zhu Lan Yang Li Ding Zhengfei Yang Yongqi Yin Minato Wakisaka Shahram Ashouri Mohammadhadi Jazini Weiming Fang |
| author_sort | Jiangyu Zhu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The efficient and cost-effective harvesting of food-grade <i>Euglena gracilis</i> remains a critical challenge in microalgal food production. This study presents an innovative, food-safe approach integrating pH preconditioning, chitosan biopolymer flocculation, and green light irradiation to leverage <i>E. gracilis’</i> natural phototactic behavior. Response surface methodology optimized the parameters (pH 6.49, 46.10 mg·L<sup>−1</sup> chitosan, and 60 min green light), achieving 93.07% biomass recovery, closely matching the predicted 92.21%. The synergistic effects of pH-modified chitosan flocculation and phototaxis significantly enhanced the harvesting efficiency compared to conventional methods. Notably, harvested cells maintained substantial photosynthetic capability, as evidenced by chlorophyll fluorescence analysis, ensuring the preservation of nutritional quality. Economic analysis revealed exceptional harvesting cost-effectiveness at 2.35 USD per kg of dry weight biomass harvested. The method’s use of food-grade chitosan and non-invasive light stimulation ensures product safety while minimizing the environmental impact. This sustainable and economical approach offers a promising solution for industrial-scale production of food-grade <i>E. gracilis</i> while demonstrating potential applicability to other phototactic microalgae species. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-70b5e658cd4b4740be746c62cc9e4cce |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2076-2607 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Microorganisms |
| spelling | doaj-art-70b5e658cd4b4740be746c62cc9e4cce2025-08-20T02:45:01ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072025-01-0113230310.3390/microorganisms13020303Enhanced Recovery of Food-Grade <i>Euglena gracilis</i> Biomass Through Synergistic pH-Modified Chitosan Flocculation and Green Light StimulationJiangyu Zhu0Lan Yang1Li Ding2Zhengfei Yang3Yongqi Yin4Minato Wakisaka5Shahram Ashouri6Mohammadhadi Jazini7Weiming Fang8School of Food Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225127, ChinaSchool of Textile Science and Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, ChinaSchool of Food Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225127, ChinaSchool of Food Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225127, ChinaSchool of Food Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225127, ChinaFood Study Centre, Fukuoka Women’s University, 1-1-1 Kasumigaoka, Fukuoka 813-8529, JapanDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111, IranDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111, IranSchool of Food Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225127, ChinaThe efficient and cost-effective harvesting of food-grade <i>Euglena gracilis</i> remains a critical challenge in microalgal food production. This study presents an innovative, food-safe approach integrating pH preconditioning, chitosan biopolymer flocculation, and green light irradiation to leverage <i>E. gracilis’</i> natural phototactic behavior. Response surface methodology optimized the parameters (pH 6.49, 46.10 mg·L<sup>−1</sup> chitosan, and 60 min green light), achieving 93.07% biomass recovery, closely matching the predicted 92.21%. The synergistic effects of pH-modified chitosan flocculation and phototaxis significantly enhanced the harvesting efficiency compared to conventional methods. Notably, harvested cells maintained substantial photosynthetic capability, as evidenced by chlorophyll fluorescence analysis, ensuring the preservation of nutritional quality. Economic analysis revealed exceptional harvesting cost-effectiveness at 2.35 USD per kg of dry weight biomass harvested. The method’s use of food-grade chitosan and non-invasive light stimulation ensures product safety while minimizing the environmental impact. This sustainable and economical approach offers a promising solution for industrial-scale production of food-grade <i>E. gracilis</i> while demonstrating potential applicability to other phototactic microalgae species.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/2/303<i>Euglena gracilis</i>harvestingresponse surface methodologychitosanchlorophyll fluorescence |
| spellingShingle | Jiangyu Zhu Lan Yang Li Ding Zhengfei Yang Yongqi Yin Minato Wakisaka Shahram Ashouri Mohammadhadi Jazini Weiming Fang Enhanced Recovery of Food-Grade <i>Euglena gracilis</i> Biomass Through Synergistic pH-Modified Chitosan Flocculation and Green Light Stimulation Microorganisms <i>Euglena gracilis</i> harvesting response surface methodology chitosan chlorophyll fluorescence |
| title | Enhanced Recovery of Food-Grade <i>Euglena gracilis</i> Biomass Through Synergistic pH-Modified Chitosan Flocculation and Green Light Stimulation |
| title_full | Enhanced Recovery of Food-Grade <i>Euglena gracilis</i> Biomass Through Synergistic pH-Modified Chitosan Flocculation and Green Light Stimulation |
| title_fullStr | Enhanced Recovery of Food-Grade <i>Euglena gracilis</i> Biomass Through Synergistic pH-Modified Chitosan Flocculation and Green Light Stimulation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Enhanced Recovery of Food-Grade <i>Euglena gracilis</i> Biomass Through Synergistic pH-Modified Chitosan Flocculation and Green Light Stimulation |
| title_short | Enhanced Recovery of Food-Grade <i>Euglena gracilis</i> Biomass Through Synergistic pH-Modified Chitosan Flocculation and Green Light Stimulation |
| title_sort | enhanced recovery of food grade i euglena gracilis i biomass through synergistic ph modified chitosan flocculation and green light stimulation |
| topic | <i>Euglena gracilis</i> harvesting response surface methodology chitosan chlorophyll fluorescence |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/2/303 |
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