Isolation, Identification and Germplasm Preservation of Different Native <i>Spirulina</i> Species from Western Mexico

Abstract

Spirulina is an edible algae and has a wide range of pharmaceutical applications in addition to its nutritional value. Isolation and identification of several Spirulina species were conducted in the western part of Mexico especially in the state of Jalisco. The purification strategy consisted of five optimized processing steps: 1) washing and centrifugation, 2) chemical treatment, 3) micromanipulation, 4) serial dilution, and 5) plating. Four species were isolated from different locations and two out of these four species were identified taxonomically up to the species level: Spirulina subsalsa and S . major . For short term conservation (30 days), the strains were maintained in liquid and solid agar medium at 10 ?C and 4 ?C . For medium term (few months), they were preserved in solid medium under a dried condition as agar flakes and for long term, cryopreservation was employed by using 5% and 10% DMSO, glycerol and methanol as osmoprotectants in liquid nitrogen. For short term preservation nearly 90% liquid and 100% agar recovered strains were viable after one month at both temperatures. In the case of the agar flakes, cells were viable after three months of conservation at room temperature. Cryopreservation did not give any suitable results after three months of conservation. Variable and two-step improved cryopreservation processes are now in progress for conservation.