Analyzing the Efficiency of Foam as an Immobilization Matrix for the Storage of Cyanobacterial Cells

The present study aimed to analyze the efficiency of preserving cyanobacterial cultures by immobilizing them in foam. Preserving these photosynthetic organisms is advantageous as it reduces the researchers’ load of repeated isolation, purification, and maintenance of batch cultures. Cyanobacterial cells were immobilized for a period of one, two, and three years and various biochemical aspects such as energy production, carbohydrate, and protein synthesis were evaluated. Activities of different enzymes like nitrogenase, glutamine synthetase, nitrate reductase, and nitrite reductase were also checked. The morphological studies carried out using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that cyanobacterial filaments adhered well to the foam matrix and regenerated into healthy filaments when conditions became favorable. The results obtained after the investigation suggested that cyanobacterial cells retained all of the characteristics analyzed for a maximum period of twenty-four months. Thus, foam serves as a good immobilization matrix for the preservation of cyanobacteria for at least two years.