Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology Biomolecular Engineering & Marine Biotechnology Lab.
Microalgae culture collection
As photosynthetic microorganisms, the primary producer in nature, can be found abundantly in the ocean, they are rich in diversity and have gathered much attention as the target of the screening for useful substances. Our laboratory keeps a culture collection of up to about 800 types of microalgae and photosynthetic bacteria isolated from the ocean, and has screened them for strains that produce various useful substances, including astaxanthin, antibacterial substances, polysaccharides and hydrogen, which exhibit antioxidative effects, DHA and EPA, which can be used in supplements, as well as aliphatic hydrocarbons and triglycerides, which are the raw materials of biofuel. Currently, our laboratory is focusing on the production of biofuel that uses marine photosynthetic microorganisms in particular. Marine photosynthetic microorganisms are suitable for the production of biofuel due to several advantages, including non-competition with food as they are not edible, unlike higher plants, a high yield per unit time and per unit area, as well as saving freshwater resources as they can be cultured using sea water. Moreover, as marine photosynthetic microorganisms grow by absorbing carbon dioxide through photosynthesis, they are also anticipated to contribute to the prevention of global warming.
