Increase of Lipid Productivity in Coculture of <i>Lipomyces starkeyi</i> and <i>Chlorella saccharophilum</i> on a Picoliter Incubator Array

The coculture of Lipomyces starkeyi and Chlorella saccharophilum can produce lipids more efficiently than the monoculture of L. starkeyi or C. saccharophilum. However, the conventional culture method has problems such as uniformity of light irradiation and the time-consuming growth evaluation of each microorganism. In this study, we cocultured L. starkeyi and C. saccharophilum with a flattened incubator array and demonstrated the live cell imaging of L. starkeyi and C. saccharophilum under a microscope. Our flattened incubator array alleviated cell overlaps in the z-direction and provided the microalgae with uniform light exposure. The initial growth of L. starkeyi and C. saccharophilum during coculture was evaluated by observing their morphology under a microscope. We also demonstrated for the first time that lipid productivity (/day) was increased by coculturing L. starkeyi and C. saccharophilum from a single cell.