Strain Selection

Seaweed growth performance and compound composition varies both within and among species, making strain-level evaluation and selection essential for results

Pure Algae offers systematic screening of seaweed species and strains to identify those best suited for a customer’s cultivation system and production objectives.

All strain selection experiments are conducted in the Pure Algae Laboratory Setup(or under conditions specified by the customer), where multiple strains can be cultivated under controlled and reproducible conditions. This allows direct comparison of strain performance within a defined range of abiotic parameters relevant to the target production environment.

Strains are evaluated based on response parameters, defined together with the customer.
These may include:

Production performance

• Specific growth rate (SGR)

• Biomass yield (DW or FW)

• Productivity per volume or cultivation area

• Biomass density optimum (performance at high stocking density)
  

Robustness and cultivation stability

• Respondance to light intensity

• Temperature tolerance

• Salinity tolerance

• pH tolerance

• Resistance to biofouling or epiphytes

• Resistance to microbial stress or contamination

• Mechanical robustness during handling or harvesting
  

Biomass composition and product quality

• Protein content

• Pigment content (e.g. chlorophylls, carotenoids, phycobiliproteins depending on species)

• Polysaccharide content

• Lipid content

• Amino acid composition

• Carbohydrate profile

• Mineral composition

• Ratio between key compounds (e.g. protein to carbohydrate ratio)
  

Process-related parameters

• Nutrient uptake efficiency (e.g. nitrogen or phosphorus removal)

• Nutrient use efficiency

• Response to nutrient limitation or enrichment

• Stability of composition or growth state across cultivation cycles

• Suitability for downstream processing (pressing, drying, extraction)

The workflow includes strain acclimation followed by a structured cultivation experiment with biomass harvesting, quantitative measurements, sampling, and data analysis.

The screening identifies strains that perform best under the tested conditions and provides a clear basis for selecting the most suitable biological starting point for the cultivation system. The results can also serve as the foundation for subsequent parameter optimization and process development.