New technology of Black Sea algae Gelidium spinosum (S. G. Gmelin) P. C. Silva (Rhodophyta) cultivation

The results of long-term studies of conditions of cultivation of red Black Sea algae Gelidium spinosum (S. G. Gmelin) P. C. Silva (Rhodophyta) in Silva P. C., Basson P. W. & Moe R. L. 1996: 141 in the systems of engineering type aimed at increasing R-phycoerythrin concentration are given. The systems were developed on the basis of studying the influence of temperature, light and regimes of the nutrient medium flow saturated with carbon dioxide on the biomass growth and were protected by several patents. Anti-fouling methods were also taken into consideration while developing the systems. The relevance of the work is determined by the value of G. spinosum, which is a natural pigment and food dye, a powerful antioxidant used in immune diagnosis, microscopy and cytometry, the cost of which is estimated at $3250–14000 per 1 gram. The aim of the work was to optimize Black Sea G. spinosum cultivation conditions in the coastal systems of engineering type for increasing the yield of the R-phycoerythrin per unit of the area of cultivators. As the material we used G. spinosum from fouling of the rocks and shore protection structures in the vicinity of Sevastopol, which was cultivated in the laboratory setup at the temperature in the range of 15–27 °C, light intensity 10–25 klx in the regime of 18 h day : 6 h night, variations of flow of the nutrient medium using the Black Sea water with addition of salt, salts of nitrogen, phosphorus, iron, magnesium and manganese. At the last stage of the work the yield was (96.2 ± 8.8) g·m−2·day−1 of G. spinosum wet weight. At the lowest harvest of 87.4 g·m−2, with a minimum of dry matter of 36 % and the content of phycoerythrin to 12 mg·g−1, the pigment yield of R-phycoerythrin will be 378.6 mg·m−2·day−1. In the future, the coastal system of the cultivators with the depth of 0.5 m and mirror surface area of 1 ha (when working only 300 days a year) will produce not less than 1100 kg of R-phycoerythrin.