Airlift Photobioreactor Cultivation of a New Strain of Haematococcus pluvialis Collected from High Altitude Regions of Himalayas

A new strain of Haematococcus pluvialis was isolated from the fresh water samples of Pithorogarh district of Uttarkhand in India. The optimized BBM medium was used in Airlift photobioreactor (3 l) cultivation and biomass was obtained in the green stage of the alga Haematococcus pluvialis. Using modified BBM media with nitrate stress the alga was again cultured in the Airlift photobioreactor (3 l) for induction of astaxanthin accumulation and the carotenoids was extracted with 0.2 N HCl which showed 85 % extraction. From the extracted carotenoid pigments free astaxanthin, astaxanthin monoesters and astaxanthin diesters were obtained using Chromatographic techniques.