Recent research on Spirulina in Italy

As with other microbiological processes carried out on an industrial scale, the successful exploitation of Spirulina requires the availability of improved strains and an adequate development of the biotechnology for outdoor mass culture and for processing the biomass. Work in progress at the Research Centre on Autotrophic Microorganisms at Firenze is directed both to better understanding the physiological properties of Spirulina platensis and S. maxima (syn. S. geitleri) and to devising different culture techniques suitable for application on an industrial scale under different environmental situations. In this report some data on the growth properties of a number of strains of S. platensis and S. maxima are reported. Also, the results of an investigation on the growth of Spirulina in fertilized seawater in laboratory and outdoor cultures are presented.