Research Article Open Access Sharma et al., J Plant Pathol Microb 2012, 3:5 DIO: 10.4172/2157-7471.1000131 Volume 3 • Issue 5 • 1000131 J Plant Pathol Microb ISSN:2157-7471 JPPM an open access journal Keywords: Chlorella; Culture condition; Growth; Chlorophylls; Carotenoids; Proteins; Amino acids Abbreviations: CC: Cell Count; Chl-a: Chlorophyll-a; Chl-b: Chlorophyll-b; DW: Dry Weight; FW: Fresh Weight; OD: Optical Density Introduction Chlorella is the most cultivated eukaryotic green micro alga, as it is widely used as a health food and feed supplement, as well as in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industry. It contains proteins, carotenoids, lipids, immunostimulator compounds, polysaccharides, vitamins, antioxidants and minerals. Te growth of algae is a function of many factors, including nutrients, pH, salinity, temperature and light (duration and intensity). Among these factors, the light that directly infuences photosynthetic mechanism is an important factor in defning optimal conditions for the culture [1]. In the presence of non-limiting nutrients, the efciency of microalgal culture remains controlled, mainly by light intensity and temperature. Photosynthesis of phytoplankton is infuenced by natural factors, such as temperature and irradiance [2]. Tese factors infuence the nutritional value of phytoplankton such as protein, carbohydrate, lipid, amino acid and pigments composition [3]. Tese specifc chemicals attributes will not follow similar trends with changing temperature and light conditions [4]. Te efects of irradiance and photoperiod on the biomass and fatty acid composition of Chlorella vulgaris, were also examined [5]. It has been long known that direct sunshine is harmful to algal cultures. Under natural conditions, receiving direct rays of the sun rarely fall on an alga, and a few centimeters of interposed water are sufcient to reduce the harmful efects. In the natural habitats, algae grow predominantly in diminished light; hence cultures should be placed in the window, where direct sun light could be avoided. Refer to the previous work in Prochlorococcus sp., the efect of illumination on cell growth cycle were examined [6], and in Chlamydomonas geilteri the growth to be dependent on a wide range of temperature [7]. Te growth of Chlamydomonas ulvaensis and its polysaccharide contents, to be dependent on light intensity, and temperature range [8] and the efects of various lights on the growth of Pithophora kewensis, Cladophora fexuosa, Chaetomorpha melagonium and Rhizoclomium riparium, were also observed [9]. Te temperature dependent sensitivity of growth and photosynthesis of Scenedesmus obliquus and Navicula pelliculosa [10], and the efect of varied light intensities and temperature on desmids, have been reported [11,12]. Tese workers have observed that temperature as well as illumination conditions, play an important role in defning varied morphological factors. Te aim of the present study is to evaluate the infuence of diferent culture conditions of temperature and illumination on the growth and biochemical profle of C. vulgaris, and to optimize the best culture condition. Materials and Methods Test organism and culture conditions Te experimental organism Chlorella vulgaris was isolated from Mawtha, a fresh water pond, pH 7.3, near Amber Fort in Jaipur, Rajasthan (India), cultured on Modifed Chu-10 medium and maintained on the same medium by regular subculturing in every two weeks, as previously described [13]. Experiments to evaluate the efect *Corresponding author: Vijendra K. Sharma, Department of Botany, MSJ Government PG College, Bharatpur-321 001, Rajasthan, India, Tel: +91 9414454668; E-mail: sharmavijendrak@yahoo.co.in Received August 06, 2012; Accepted September 08, 2012; Published September 13, 2012 Citation: Sharma R, Singh GP, Sharma VK (2012) Effects of Culture Conditions on Growth and Biochemical Profle of Chlorella Vulgaris. J Plant Pathol Microb 3:131. doi:10.4172/2157-7471.1000131 Copyright: © 2012 Sharma R, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Abstract The effects of culture conditions at different temperature and light regimes on growth and the contents of chlorophyll-a, chlorophyll-b, total carotenoids, total protein and total free amino acids of Chlorella vulgaris were determined. The growth of C. vulgaris in terms of optical density (0.42 at 670 nm), cell count (440 x 104 cells/ml) and dry weight (30.2 mg/50 ml), and the amount of chlorophyll- a (2.16%), chlorophyll- b (0.59%) and total protein, was found higher at the temperature 25-30°C and natural day light receiving through the north facing window of the growth room. Although, the amount of total carotenoids (0.440%) and free amino acids (834 µg/gm fresh weight) were found maximum in continuous light at 30-35°C, not much differences in the amount of carotenoids (0.385%) and free amino acids (822 µg/gm fresh weight) were found at 25-30°C and natural day light. The natural day light at 25-30°C was also proved profcient, as distinct banding pattern with unique polypeptides such as 15KDa, 47KDa and 50KDa, on the other hand, 23KDa, 26KDa and 36KDa appeared in all samples, these bands were not affected by light and temperature. Our results indicate that among all fve culture conditions tested, the cultures kept at north facing window receiving natural day light at temperature 25-30°C, show best growth and higher contents of biochemicals that will be benefcial to use Chlorella for high nutritive purpose. Effects of Culture Conditions on Growth and Biochemical Profile of Chlorella Vulgaris Rekha Sharma 1 , Gajendra Pal Singh 2 and Vijendra K. Sharma 1 * 1 Department of Botany, MSJ Government PG College, Bharatpur-321 001, Rajasthan, India 2 Department of Botany, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur-302 055, Rajasthan, India Journal of Plant Pathology & Microbiology J o u r n a l o f P l a n t P a t h ol o g y & M i c r o b i o l o g y ISSN: 2157-7471