Enhancement of Biomass and Astaxanthin Production in Haematococcus pluvialis Microalgae | ||
Egyptian Journal of Chemistry | ||
Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 08 October 2025 | ||
Document Type: Original Article | ||
DOI: 10.21608/ejchem.2025.419260.12265 | ||
Authors | ||
Ahmed M. Hagag1; Farhat Foda2; Farouk K. El-Baz3; Abdalla El-Sayed El-Hadary4; Sami I. Ali* 5; Soha Ahmed Murad6; Abeer Salama7 | ||
1Plant Biochemistry Department, National Research Centre, El Buhouth St., Cairo, 12622, Egypt. | ||
2Faculty of Agriculture, Biochemistry Dept. Benha University, Benha 13736, Egypt. | ||
3Plant Biochemistry Department, National Research Centre, El Buhouth St., Cairo, 12622, Egypt | ||
4Biochemistry department,Faculty of agriculture ,benha univeristy | ||
5Plant Biochemistry Department, National Research Centre (NRC), 33 El Bohouth St. (Former El-Tahrir St.), 12622 Dokki, Cairo, Egypt. | ||
6Plant Biochemistry Department , Agricultural and Biology Research Institute, National Research Centre, Dokki, Cairo | ||
7pharmacology, NRC | ||
Abstract | ||
Astaxanthin is a xanthophyll carotenoid that has various beneficial applications in the pharmaceutical and food industries. This study aims to improve astaxanthin production in Haematococcus pluvialis microalgae, a leading source of astaxanthin. The effects of different treatments, including nitrogen starvation, calcium chloride, sodium acetate, and melatonin, on the growth, chlorophyll content, and astaxanthin production in H. pluvialis were evaluated. The results showed that nitrogen starvation (0 g of sodium nitrate/L), a high concentration of calcium chloride (0.147 g/L), a high concentration of sodium acetate (1.5 g/L), and a moderate concentration of melatonin (4.65 mg/L) all enhanced astaxanthin production in H. pluvialis. The moderate concentration of melatonin (4.65 mg/L) produced the highest concentration of astaxanthin (10.19±0.02 mg/mL) compared to the other treatments. The applied treatments improved biomass production and increased the levels of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and total chlorophyll content in H. pluvialis, with melatonin demonstrating the most significant effects. These findings indicate that astaxanthin production from H. pluvialis was highly increased by melatonin treatment, emphasizing its strong potential for enhancing the industrial production of astaxanthin. | ||
Keywords | ||
Haematococcus pluvialis; astaxanthin; calcium chloride; sodium acetate; nitrogen starvation; melatonin | ||
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