Sequential Heterotrophy–Dilution–Photoinduction Cultivation of Haematococcus pluvialis for efficient production of astaxanthin

A novel cultivation strategy called Sequential Heterotrophy-Dilution-Photoinduction was successfully applied in the cultivation of Haematococcus pluvialis to produce astaxanthin effectively. Cells were first cultivated heterotrophically to achieve a high cell density, then were diluted to a suitable concentration and switched to a favorable environment for cells acclimation. Finally, the culture was transferred to high light environment for astaxanthin accumulation. By this strategy, the dry cell weight of 26 g/L and biomass productivity of 64.1mg/L/h were obtained in heterotrophy stage which surpassed ever before reported in literatures. Meanwhile, the cells could accumulate considerable astaxanthin up to 4.6% of dry cell weight after 10 days of photoinduction. Furthermore, the application prospects of the strategy were confirmed further by outdoor experiments. Therefore, this novel strategy provided a promising approach for high-efficient production of natural astaxanthin from H. pluvialis to meet the huge demand of this high value product.