Figure 1

Schematic representation of the experimental strategy. (a) Cultures in shake flasks were used to determine the carbon sources that can be metabolized by N. oleoabundans under strict heterotrophic conditions and were also used, with glucose, to generate the inocula (Relative growth obtained after 5 days of cultivation). (b) Next, glucose was used for batch cultivations in 5-L bioreactors, two different C/N ratios were studied, a balanced ratio of 17 and a high ratio of 278 (nitrogen limited) (c) For the batch and fed-batch cultures the following parameters were determined: the cell number and cell mass, the glucose and nitrate consumption, the macromolecular composition of the microalgae (total protein, carbohydrates and lipids) and the fatty acid profile. (d) Fed-batch cultures, with intermittent nitrate additions, were performed in 5-L bioreactors.