The local standard of Liaoning Province “Analysis of Compositions in Marine Microalgae: Ninth Part: Determination of Ash”, which was drafted by DICP this year, was recently reported to be authorized to publish. This standard is a part of the series of standard “Analysis of Compositions in Marine Microalgae”, the first part of which “Determination of neutral lipid” was published last year.
Marine microalgae are the main sources of primary productivity in marine environment. Their high photosynthetic efficiency, fast growth rate, freshwater-saving while cultivation, and varieties of natural products accumulated in cells entails them great potential for application in the field of aquiculture, bioenergy generation, food and medical industries, and so on. The ash content in marine microalgal biomass varies from different algal species, cultivation conditions, and harvesting methods. However, up to now, no standard determination method has been developed for ash content assay in marine microalgae, which is inimical to the microalgal product quality control and the evaluation of the target product content in biomass, thereby restricts the sustainable development of marine microalgae industry.
Combined with the advanced technologies in substance analysis at DICP, Marine Bioengineering Group (1812) established the first domestic local standard on ash content determination in marine microalgae with its more than 10 years’ research experience on microalgae. This standard has specified the operational procedure on ash content assay based on thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), which makes the determination of ash content in marine microalgal biomass fast and accurate with trace sample required (no more than 20 mg).
The publication of this standard will definitely facilitate the quality control of marine microalgae-related products. Marine Bioengineering Group (1812) will continue to dedicate to the accomplishment of the series of standard on the analysis of other compositions in marine microalgae, and establish the “Technical Subcommittee of Algal Products Standardization of Liaoning Province” for the promotion of the local and domestic marine microalgal industry.