Microalgae are small unicellular photosynthetic organisms that can grow quickly using light, carbon dioxide, and nutrients to produce different compounds that include proteins, pigments, fatty acids, and carbohydrates. These microalgal compounds have potential as sustainable feedstocks for food, animal feed, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals.

The development of microalgal biotechnology relies on the innovation of methods for microalgae cultivation, harvesting, processing, and the analysis of cells and compounds. The development of innovative methods is an urgent need for cost-effective, fast, and/or high-throughput analysis. Currently, researchers are working to create environmentally friendly methods by decreasing the toxic chemicals used in this analysis.

This Methods Collection aims to provide detailed state-of-the-art protocols that are currently in use in the analysis of microalgal cells and compounds. The collection will introduce newly developed methods with the potential to be used widely in microalgal research and application. We believe this collection is important for sharing the established knowledge and techniques and for introducing novel methods for new applications.

All methods related to microalgal biotechnology that meet the above requirements are considered in this collection. This includes microalgal bioprocesses, such as isolation, cultivation, and harvesting. It also includes techniques for the analysis of microalgal cells, including identification, characterization, and sorting. Finally, the collection welcomes methods for the analysis of microalgal compounds, such as extraction procedures and quantification techniques.