Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42249951›Full record

ArticleCurrent microbiology2026

Boosted Biomass Production of Single and Co-Cultures of Microalgae Grown in Whey Supplemented Media: a Sustainable Approach.

Zahra Ebrahimi Kelarijani, Zeinabossadat Ebrahimzadeh Mousavi, Hossein Kiani, Seyed Hadi Razavi, Ronald Halim

Abstract read
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Current microbiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Zahra Ebrahimi KelarijaniBioprocessing and Biodetection Lab, Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran.
Zeinabossadat Ebrahimzadeh MousaviBioprocessing and Biodetection Lab, Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran. zeinab.mosavi@ut.ac.ir.
Hossein KianiBioprocessing and Biodetection Lab, Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran. hokiani@ut.ac.ir.
Seyed Hadi RazaviBioprocessing and Biodetection Lab, Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran.
Ronald HalimSchool of Biosystems and Food Engineering, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.

Funding

Research Ireland 24/IRDIF/13222
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Whey is a major by-product of the dairy industry characterized by its high nitrogenous loads and organic content, presenting significant environmental challenges, if it is not valorized properly. This study investigates the potential of microalgae single and co-cultures as a sustainable approach for whey valorisation and valuable biomass production. Different combinations of four-species-comprising Scenedesmus sp. (SC), Tetradesmus obliquus (TO), Chlorella vulgaris Beijerinck (CVB), and Chlorella vulgaris CCAP 211/19 (CV)-were cultivated in casein whey-based media to assess cell proliferation and biomass yield. Nitrogen assimilation was also investigated during this study. Results revealed that TO achieved the highest biomass yield (1.3 g/L) in whey medium, while the co-culture of Chlorella vulgaris strains exhibited synergistic growth, outperforming single cultures and the mixed culture of all four species (MIX). Flow cytometry showed that the pattern of the cell population of algae for whey containing media was different from those for standard medium (BBM), the cells were larger with reduced chlorophyll content. The highest cell counts were related to TO and the consortium culture (MIX). This observation could be linked to the results obtained by biomass weight, which showed that TO had the highest biomass weight, as this microalgae exhibited larger cells sizes and cell counts. Interestingly, nitrogen assimilation studies demonstrated that co-cultures of microalgae enhanced nitrate and ammonia removal, significantly. The removal performance was particularly improved in whey-supplemented media, underscoring the potential of co-cultures for efficient and sustainable nitrogen removal. Up to 99% of protein and 90% of nitrate could be successfully removed from whey solution after three weeks. This research emphasizes the dual benefits of microalgae co-cultures in nitrogen removal and simultaneously high-value biomass production using media based on whey. The results of nitrogen assimilation using co-cultures offered an improved sustainable solution to nitrogen removal problem in the food industry. The findings provide a foundation for precision consortium design in dairy waste valorization, paving the way for cost-effective and environmentally friendly solutions in the dairy industry.

Indexed as

BiomassCulture MediaMicroalgaeWheyCoculture TechniquesNitrogenCulture MediaNitrogen

Identifiers

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.