Biotechnological Optimisation of Spirulina platensis Cultivation for Enhanced Antibacterial Activity and Commercial Applications
Keywords:
Spirulina platensis; cultivation optimization; antibacterial activity; biotechnology; commercial applicationAbstract
Spirulina platensis is a filamentous, alkaliphilic cyanobacterium of substantial nutritional and pharmaceutical value, and there is growing interest in biotechnological strategies that enhance its bioactive potential for commercial exploitation. The present study investigated the optimization of three principal physicochemical cultivation parameters, namely initial medium pH, light intensity, and incubation temperature, with a view to enhancing biomass yield and antibacterial activity, and evaluated the resulting biomass for commercial applicability. Using a one-factor-at-a-time approach, the optimum conditions were identified as pH 9.5, light intensity 2000 lux, and temperature 32 °C, under which dry biomass increased by 65.7% relative to the control (1.74 versus 1.05 g L⁻¹). Extracts prepared from optimized biomass using solvents of differing polarity were evaluated for antibacterial activity by the agar well diffusion assay, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) against eight Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The methanolic extract exhibited the greatest broad-spectrum, predominantly bactericidal activity, with zones of inhibition ranging from 12.9 to 18.6 mm and MIC values of 62.5–156.0 µg mL⁻¹. Bioactive constituents, including phycocyanin, chlorophyll a, carotenoids, phenolics, and flavonoids, increased by 44.9–51.9% under optimized conditions, and a strong positive correlation (r = 0.94) was observed between biomass yield and antibacterial activity. Commercial feasibility assessment indicated strong potential across the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, cosmetic, food-preservation, and natural-antimicrobial sectors. These findings demonstrate that the rational manipulation of readily controllable cultivation parameters constitutes an effective, scalable biotechnological strategy for producing antibacterially enhanced S. platensis biomass of commercial value.
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