''Haematococcus pluvialis'' is a freshwater species of
Chlorophyta
Chlorophyta or Prasinophyta is a taxon of green algae informally called chlorophytes. The name is used in two very different senses, so care is needed to determine the use by a particular author. In older classification systems, it refers to a ...
from the family
Haematococcaceae. This species is well known for its high content of the strong antioxidant
astaxanthin
Astaxanthin is a keto- carotenoid within a group of chemical compounds known as terpenes. Astaxanthin is a metabolite of zeaxanthin and canthaxanthin, containing both hydroxyl and ketone functional groups. It is a lipid-soluble pigment with r ...
, which is important in aquaculture, and cosmetics. The high amount of astaxanthin is present in the resting cells, which are produced and rapidly accumulated when the environmental conditions become unfavorable for normal cell growth. Examples of such conditions include bright light, high salinity, and low availability of nutrients. ''Haematococcus pluvialis'' is usually found in temperate regions around the world. Their resting cysts are often responsible for the blood-red colour seen in the bottom of dried out rock pools and bird baths. This colour is caused by astaxanthin which is believed to protect the resting cysts from the detrimental effect of UV-radiation, when exposed to direct sunlight.
Gallery
H. pluvialis.jpg, ''H. pluvialis''
Haematococcus pluvialis flagellate.jpg, A single flagellate of ''H. pluvialis''
Haematococcus pluvialis.jpg, Drawing of ''Haematococcus pluvialis''
A green alga Haematococcus pluvialis cultivated at different temperatures and light intensities.jpg, Cultivation of ''H. pluvialis''
Synonyms
''Sphaerella pluvialis'' Flotow
Famille des Sporulacés.
Catégorie lapinistique.
Herbacées .
Cultures
UTEX Culture 2505 ''Haematococcus pluvialis''
CCAP Strain Number 34/6 ''Haematococcus pluvialis'' Flotow
SCCAP Culture numbe
K-0084''Haematococcus pluvialis'' Flot. 1844 em. Wille 1903
Culture medium
Vinasse Vinasse is a byproduct of the sugar or ethanol industry. Sugarcane or sugar beet is processed to produce crystalline sugar, pulp and molasses. The latter are further processed by fermentation to ethanol, ascorbic acid or other products. Juice s ...
can be used as a basal medium for ''Haematococcus pluvialis'' culture. The vinasse culture medium consist of vinasse diluted to 3% and supplemented with 0.7%
NaCl
Sodium chloride , commonly known as salt (although sea salt also contains other chemical salts), is an ionic compound with the chemical formula NaCl, representing a 1:1 ratio of sodium and chloride ions. With molar masses of 22.99 and 35.45 g/ ...
, and the
pH was adjusted to 7.0. A 0.4 g/L quantity of inoculum can be used for the initial culture (cells in vegetative growth). The culture must be performed with 0.5 vvm air at 25°C, and until 15 days of culture.
[Gollo, A. L. et al (2016) Developing a plant culture medium composed of vinasse originating from ''Haematococcus pluvialis'' culture. Pakistan Journal of Botany 48 (1): 295-303.]
References
Further reading
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Chlamydomonadales
Articles containing video clips
{{Chlorophyceae-stub