Collected red Haematococcus biomass is lyophilized and stored at 4°C in darkness, yet it loses its red color (turns green) within a few days. What could be the reason? Did anyone experience such phenomenon?
There is an important info you do not specify: the composition of your biomass. Cysts or swimming cells? Both stages? Please, tell us. Cheers, Carlos
It is possible that astaxanthin is being degraded (thus the green color of chlorophyll). It is best storing it at -20 C, under nitrogen blanket (to exclude oxygen).
The biomass consisted of cysts. Thanks, I will try storage at -20°C, under nitrogen.
The methods suggested by colleagues are OK. But it remains to be answered why your materials lyophilized and stored at 4°C in darkness turn green. Did you liophilize the natural sample directly or rinsed it previously with distilled water?If you did the former, It is possible that because of drying is also a process of concentration of the medium, when you store the dry material at 4°C and it eventually wets, some nutrients and organic matter diluted int he original sample could become concentrated and trigger the heterotrophic metabolism of the algae. Resting stages could start to germinate... (?)Just an idea. Best.
see
http://www.google.com.ar/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCkQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.researchgate.net%2Fpublication%2F233907298_Growth_and_astaxanthin_formation_of_Haematococcus_pluvialis_in_heterotrophic_and_mixotrophic_conditions92%2Ffile%2F32bfe50cbca45aa98f.pdf&ei=mfiKUo78F8OnkQeF5oDQDA&usg=AFQjCNH16faQNkDLFBMYzwWKk-ndTfe-vQ&bvm=bv.56643336,d.dmg&cad=rja
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1023%2FA%3A1018489611688#page-1
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15711942
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0922338X9290261R
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