Digit!AI

The cultivation of microalgae is a niche field of bioprocess technology. In contrast to the industrial production of yeasts and bacteria, cultivation is usually not axenic - i.e. under sterile conditions. Thus, depending on the available nutrients, other accompanying microorganisms are also present in the culture. This means that contamination by foreign organisms is always a risk.The BOKU team will test and adapt a technique for inline digital holographic phase contrast imaging to characterize microalgae. The analysis of the information will be trained to identify optimal times for processing the algae in bioproduction. It will also be tested to monitor the culture for the presence of extraneous organisms.