Current developments in high-throughput analysis for microalgae cellular contents

Microalgae have emerged as one of the most promising feedstocks for biofuels and bio-based chemical production. However, due to the lack of effective tools enabling rapid and high-throughput analysis of the content of microalgae biomass, the efficiency of screening and identification of microalgae with desired functional components from the natural environment is usually quite low. Moreover, the real-time monitoring of the production of target components from microalgae is also difficult. Recently, research efforts focusing on overcoming this limitation have started. In this review, the recent development of high-throughput methods for analyzing microalgae cellular contents is summarized. The future prospects and impacts of these detection methods in microalgae-related processing and industries are also addressed.