Analysis for spirulina cultures
NT Sensors analysis of Spirulina solutions for Spirulina culture medium analysis
Nutrient analysis of spirulina cultures
Imacimus 10 multi-ion NT Sensors are the most complete solution for fast, cost-effective and reliable measurement of up to 10 parameters in Spirulina culture media in real time. With the Imacimus10 you can measure 7 nutrients together with pH, conductivity and water hardness.
At NT Sensors, we provide a cost-effective solution for culture medium analysis of spirulina platensis in custom and large-scale production.
For the analysis of the spirulina culture medium we recommend measuring these 7 nutrients: nitrate, ammonium, calcium, chloride, potassium, sodium and magnesium.
Direct measurement of spirulina
- Type: ISE meter imacimus 10
- No sensors: 7 - Nitrate, Ammonium, Calcium, Chloride, Potassium, Sodium and Magnesium
- Analysis technique: Calibration and direct measurement
- Number of samples: More than 200
- Results: mg/L or mmol/L
- Time per sample: < 2 min Minimum sample volume: 10 mL
- Time per sample: < 2 min Minimum sample volume: 10 mL
- Power consumption: 5V / 1 A
- No addition of reagents per sample
- No cooling processes
- Direct measurement of exact potassium concentration
Spirulina production
Commercial mass production of spirulina has gained worldwide attention for its use in human food supplements, animal feed and pharmaceutical products.
Spirulina contains up to 70% by weight of protein, high amounts of essential fatty acids, essential amino acids, minerals, vitamins (such as B12), antioxidants (such as phycobiliproteins and carotenoids) and polysaccharides.
Cost-effective production of spirulina is necessary when considering large-scale cultivation and industrial purposes.
Spirulina growth and the composition of the biomass produced depend on many factors, the most important of which are nutrient availability, temperature and light.
The cost of nutrients is considered the second most important factor influencing the cost of Spirulina bio mass production, only after labor.
Therefore, it is of particular economic interest to know the concentrations of available nutrients in real time.
Important nutrients in spirulina
The most important nutrients in spirulina growth medium are Sodium, Potassium, Phosphate, Nitrate, Sulfate, Chloride, Magnesium, Calcium and Ammonium.
In particular, nitrate and ammonia levels are of critical importance in large-scale production of Spirulina platensis.
Several studies have drawn attention to the importance of monitoring nitrogen concentration in phytoplankton cultures, as it can modify metabolic activities and consequently the composition and nutritional value of microalgae and cyanobacteria, which is important to consider in aquaculture practices.
Other important nutrients such as Potassium, Calcium, Sodium, Chloride and Magnesium are part of the Spirulina organs and contribute in different key processes for the growth of the organism.
The right balance of all these nutrients provides the right environment for optimal growth of Spirulina platensis.
Analysis for optimal spirulina growth
PH analysis is also a key aspect of the Spirulina culture medium, as pH determines the optimal growth of Spirulina platensis cyanobacteria and at the same time prevents the presence of pests.
Spirulina grows at alkaline pHs between 9.3 and 10.5.
This pH naturally limits the growth of pests, so no phytosanitary treatment for pest control (such as herbicides or pesticides) is required.
NT Sensors solutions for the analysis of spirulina culture medium.
NTSensors’ ISE multi-ion instrument Imacimus 10 is the most complete solution for fast, cost-effective and reliable measurement of up to 10 parameters in Spirulina culture media in real time.
With Imacimus10 you can measure 7 nutrients together with pH, conductivity and water hardness.
For the analysis of Spirulina culture medium we recommend measuring these 7 nutrients: nitrate, ammonium, calcium, chloride, potassium, sodium and magnesium.
The Imacimus 5 ISE meter kit allows simultaneous analysis of four nutrients and pH. A suitable ISE kit for the analysis of spirulina culture medium would be the analysis of Nitrate, Ammonium, Potassium and Magnesium.
