Algae and their Biotechnological Potential

Algae are important organisms that include seaweeds and a number of single-celled and multicellular microscopic forms. Algae are ubiquitous; they inhabit almost everywhere including oceans, freshwater bodies, rocks, soils, and trees. Man's uses of algae may date back to ancient times. In recent decades, there has been renewed interest in the utilization of algae as sources of health food and high-value chemicals and pharmaceuticals, and for aquaculture, agriculture, and wastewater treatment. Nevertheless, the biotechnological potential of algae is still far from fully exploited, due to a lack of understanding of algal characteristics and culture systems, as well as of advanced research techniques. This book contains selected papers presented at the Fourth Asia-Pacific Conference on Algal Biotechnology held in Hong Kong, on 3-6 July, 2000. Written by experts in the field, this book provides a state-of-the-art account of algal biotechnology research. Topics range from use of algae in agriculture to environmental monitoring and protection, from algal culture systems to production of high-value chemicals and pharmaceuticals by algae, and from algal product purification to gene transformation and regulations. This book is intended for use by researchers and industrialists in the field of algal biotechnology. It will also be an important reference for undergraduate and postgraduate students in biotechnology and food science, as well as in biology in general.

1 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids: Biological Significance, Biosynthesis, and Production by Microalgae and Microalgae-like Organisms.- 2 Application of Statistically-Based Experimental Designs for Optimizing Eicosapentaenoic Acid Production by Nitzschia laevis.- 3 Optimization of Nitrogen Sources for the Production of Eicosapentaenoic Acid by the Diatom NitZschia laevis in Heterotrophic Cultures.- 4 Effects of Nitrogen Source and Vitamin B12 on Docosahexaenoic Acid Production by Crypthecodinium cohnii.- 5 Neural Networks for Modelling and Predicting the Chlorella protothecoides Cultivation Processes.- 6 Modelling of a Continuous Algal Production System Using Intelligent Methods.- 7 High Yield Production of Lutein by Heterotrophic Chlorella protothecoides in Fed-Batch Systems.- 8 Induction of Astaxanthin Formation in the Green Microalga Chlorococcum sp. by Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) under Mixotrophic Conditions of Growth.- 9 Preparative Isolation and Purification of Astaxanthin from the Green Microalga Chlorococcum sp. by High-Speed Counter-Current Chromatography.- 10 Changes in Content, Constituents and Distribution of Constitutive and Excreted Sugars of Spirulina (Arthrospira) maxima in Nutrient-Limited Batch Cultures.- 11 Growth, Nutrient Assimilation and Cadmium Removal by Suspended and Immobilized Scenedesmus acutus Cultures: Influence of Immobilization Matrix.- 12 Metal Sorption by Microalgae for Employment in Biotreatment of Environmental Heavy Metal Contamination.- 13 Toxic Effect of Tributyltin (TBT) on Different Green Microalgal Species.- 14 Catalytic Degradation of the Herbicide Glyphosate by the Paddy Field Isolates of Cyanobacteria.- 15 Effect of Post-Collection Storage Time and Season on the Antibacterial Activity of Selected Southern African Marine Macroalgae.- 16 Hormesis in Bioassay of Macroalgal Fungal Propagules.- 17 Biological Activities of Extracts from Several Species of Rohdomelaceae from Fujian Coasts of China.- 18 Studies of the Pharmacology and Toxicology of Spirulina maxima (SMNJU.02).- 19 Characterization of the icfG Gene Cluster Implicated in the Regulation of Carbon Metabolism in the Cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803.- 20 Preliminary Studies on the Genetic Transformation of Spirulina platensis.- 21 Effect of Temperature on the Desaturase Gene Translation in Spirulina platensis Strain C1.- 22 Application of a Telemetry System to Studying Microalgal Dynamics and Red Tides in Hong Kong.- 23 The Pitfalls of Using Different Classification Systems to Quantify Biodiversity of Cyanobacteria: A Case Study from Hong Kong Rocky Shores.