Comparison of the growth characteristics in two different Spirulina platensis strains

The cultivation of Spirulina platensis, which is often used in microalgal biotechnology, has successfully been carried out in our country as well. In this study, the growth characteristics of two Spirulina strains in straight and spiral forms were investigated. In addition, spectrophotometric measurements, which make the measurements of chlorophyll and dry weight more practical, were studied. It was found that all the parameters except the cell count were similar during the experiment. While the spiral/straight form ratio was 2.43 at the beginning of the experiment, it increased up to 5.53 at the end. Spectrophotometric measurements are of importance in terms of practicality in the monitoring of the growth in the cultures. In this respect, a strong correlation was determined between the absorbance values at 680 nm and the amounts of dry weight and chlorophyll (p<0.05). As a result, though there was not a significant difference between the growth parameters of the both forms, the use of straight one would be better due to the problems encountered during harvesting.