Biomaterial Database

Alteration of the biomass composition of Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis under various amounts of limited phosphorus. 2012

Giorgos Markou

Department of Natural Resources Management and Agricultural Engineering, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855 Athens, Greece. markoug@aua.gr

In this study the biomass composition alteration of the cyanobacterium Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis under various amounts of limited phosphorus is studied. It was observed that the alteration of the compounds of the biomass occurred gradually as the phosphorus became limited. Carbohydrates and lipids increased from about 9% up to 65% and from about 4.9% up to 7.5%, respectively, while proteins decreased from about 46.5% to 25% as the phosphorus became limited. The increasing of carbohydrates and lipids in addition to the decrease of proteins resulted to an increase of the carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratio from about 4.6 to 12.2.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008055	Lipids	A generic term for fats and lipoids, the alcohol-ether-soluble constituents of protoplasm, which are insoluble in water. They comprise the fats, fatty oils, essential oils, waxes, phospholipids, glycolipids, sulfolipids, aminolipids, chromolipids (lipochromes), and fatty acids. (Grant & Hackh's Chemical Dictionary, 5th ed)	Lipid
D010758	Phosphorus	A non-metal element that has the atomic symbol P, atomic number 15, and atomic weight 31. It is an essential element that takes part in a broad variety of biochemical reactions.	Black Phosphorus,Phosphorus-31,Red Phosphorus,White Phosphorus,Yellow Phosphorus,Phosphorus 31,Phosphorus, Black,Phosphorus, Red,Phosphorus, White,Phosphorus, Yellow
D011506	Proteins	Linear POLYPEPTIDES that are synthesized on RIBOSOMES and may be further modified, crosslinked, cleaved, or assembled into complex proteins with several subunits. The specific sequence of AMINO ACIDS determines the shape the polypeptide will take, during PROTEIN FOLDING, and the function of the protein.	Gene Products, Protein,Gene Proteins,Protein,Protein Gene Products,Proteins, Gene
D002241	Carbohydrates	A class of organic compounds composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in a ratio of Cn(H2O)n. The largest class of organic compounds, including STARCH; GLYCOGEN; CELLULOSE; POLYSACCHARIDES; and simple MONOSACCHARIDES.	Carbohydrate
D053545	Spirulina	A genus of filamentous CYANOBACTERIA found in most lakes and ponds. It has been used as a nutritional supplement particularly due to its high protein content.	Arthrospira,Arthrospira maxima,Spirulina maxima
D018533	Biomass	Total mass of all the organisms of a given type and/or in a given area. (From Concise Dictionary of Biology, 1990) It includes the yield of vegetative mass produced from any given crop.	Biomasses