Miniaturized culture method for the statistical study of growth rate and carbohydrate content of Picochlorum sp. D8 isolated from the Persian Gulf

Abstract The Microplate-based method is a useful means for high-throughput screening and kinetic studies of microalgal growth. In this study, the statistical evaluation of growth and carbohydrate production by a marine microalga, designated as Picochlorum sp. D8, which is taxonomically affiliated to Picochlorum sp. SENEW3 was done on a miniaturized scale. Initially, the significance of various factors was studied by using the Plackett–Burman Design. The Central Composite Design was applied to compute the optimum level of significant factors, e.g., phosphate (KH2PO4+K2HPO4) and FeCl3·6H2O. Maximum carbohydrate production was obtained at low phosphate (0.148 g/L) and FeCl3·6H2O (0.009 g/L) concentrations. The validation experiments were carried out under optimal conditions, where carbohydrate content increased by 3.5 times. The analyses of the results showed a quadratic effect of phosphate and FeCl3·6H2O concentrations.