The Effect of Colored and White Light on Growth and Phycobiliproteins, Chlorophyll and Carotenoids Content of the Marine Cyanobacteria sp. and sp. in Batch Cultures.

Two local marine cyanobacteria, sp. and sp., were batch-cultured under 18-19.5 °C, at 40 ppt salinity, using white LED light of low (40 μmol photons/m/s) and high (160 μmol/m/s) intensity and, additionally, blue, green and red LED light. Yield was highest in high white light in both species (2.15 g dw/L in 1.47 g/L in ), followed by green light (1.25 g/L) in and low white and green (1.26-1.33 g/L) in . Green light maximized phycocyanin in (0.45 mg/mL), while phycoerythrin was enhanced (0.17 mg/mL) by blue light and allophycocyanin by all colors (~0.80 mg/mL). All colors maximized phycocyanin in (~0.32 mg/mL), while phycoerythrin and allophycocyanin peaked under green light (~0.138 and 0.38 mg/mL, respectively). In , maximization of chlorophyll-a (9.3 μg/mL) was induced by green light, while total carotenoids and b-carotene (3.05 and 0.89 μg/mL, respectively) by high white light. In , both white light intensities along with green maximized chlorophyll-a (~9 μg/mL) while high white light and green maximized total carotenoids (2.6-3.0 μg/mL). This study strongly indicates that these cyanobacteria can be cultured at the first stage under white light to accumulate sufficient biomass and, subsequently, under colored light for enhancing phycobiliproteins.