Open-door mass production, chemical composition and biological evaluation of different algal species

ABSTRACT

Production of biomass from algae as a source of protein is running in Egypt since few years on scale of 24 m2. A clean medium using commercial foliar fertilizer as nutrient solution was used. For the mass production of algae the following species were used; Chlorella vulgaris, Scenedesmus obliquus, Coelastrum sphaericum, Oscillatoria amphibia and Spirulina platensis. Average yields were 15, 15, 19, 18 and 22 g/m2 for the above-mentioned species, respectively. The average chemical composition of the green algae species showed 50.1-55.1% crude protein, and for the last two blue green algae species was 62.2-63.5%. Protein efficiency ratio [PER] and digestibility were found to be within the range 1.9-2.3 and 71-78%, respectively. The product was used as supplement to chicken feed. Small scale trials to cultivate green on waste water of sugar industry as well as poultry manure extract [PME] showed promising and comparable results to the clean culture