Exploring the pigment production potential of Lebanese microalgal strains

There is a need to screen organisms from less well-known environments and for more research on new strains of microalgae as new sources of bioactive compounds. The present report describes the isolation, identification, and characterization of 45 microalgal strains from disparate areas of Lebanon. Results showed extensive morphological and physiological diversity in the microalgal collection. A Scenedesmus sp. strain exhibited significant biomass yield (149.250 mg l‒1) and high productivity of astaxanthin (38.809 µg l‒1 day‒1), violaxanthin (73.940 µg l‒1 day‒1), astaxanthin ester (36.306 µg l‒1 day‒1), zeaxanthin (49.103 µg l‒1 day‒1), lutein (29.098 µg l‒1 day‒1), β-carotene (32.491 µg l‒1 day‒1), chlorophyll a (53.064 µg l‒1 day‒1) and chlorophyll b (54.539 µg l‒1 day‒1). This strain could show good potential for local industrial scale production of biomass and pigments.