Photochemistry on a budget: solving the Cryo-EM structure of a long-wavelength photosystem I

In the last decades, different photosynthetic organisms were identified which can exploit longer wavelength photons to drive photosynthesis; both academia and industry showed a renewed interest in trying to couple it with existing photosynthetic bioprocesses, with the objective of achieving higher productivities. These organisms benefit from an extended absorption range (up to 750 nm) that would

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Rotating green to red: a biofilm-based approach to astaxanthin production

Microalgae are photosynthetic microorganisms able to convert light energy and inorganic nutrients into high-value compounds such as fatty acids, polysaccharides, or carotenoids. Astaxanthin, a red carotenoid pigment, is a very attractive molecule due to its antioxidant properties, which are significantly stronger than those of other carotenoids and vitamins. It has numerous applications in various industries,

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Data mining approaches for monitoring and decision support of indoor microalgae production

Microalgae are rich sources of protein, lipids, carbohydrates, and pigments. During the last decades, they emerged as a sustainable source of raw materials in the food, feed (aquaculture), nutraceuticals, medicinal and cosmetic industries. The high production cost associated with industrial microalgae manufacturing is a pressing concern that challenges their adoption as a viable source of

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Spectroscopic on-line biosensors for monitoring and control of microalgal cultivations

Microalgae are well known photosynthetic microbes used as cell factories for the production of relevant biotechnological compounds (e.g. pigments, unsaturated fatty acids) and environmental applications (e.g. wastewater treatment, lipids for biofuel). Despite these outstanding characteristics, industrial scale production of microalgae is still at an early stage of development. Moreover, the economically viable support of the

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