Ricerc@Sapienza

An enzymatic treatment with cell wall degrading enzymes aimed at improving the recovery of lipids from Chlorella sorokiniana was investigated. Six commercial enzyme preparations containing cellulase, pectinase, lysozyme and three different hemicellulases were preliminary tested. The most effective preparations were then used as basic components for the formulation of enzyme cocktails with high cell wall degrading activity. Experiments were carried out according to the mixture design methodology.

The effects of an enzymatic treatment with cellulase and mannanase on the properties of marine microalgae
Nannochloropsis sp. were investigated. The combined use of these enzymes synergistically promoted the recovery
of lipids from the microalgae, increasing the extraction yield from 40.8 to over 73%. Untreated and enzymatically
treated microalgae were characterized by chemical analysis and by TGA/DTG, FTIR, XRD and SEM.
Significant changes were observed in the chemical composition and thermal behavior of the microalgae. The