title: RF microalgal lipid content characterization.
abstract: Most conventional techniques for the determination of microalgae lipid content are time consuming and in most cases are indirect and require excessive sample preparations. This work presents a new technique that utilizes radio frequency (RF) for rapid lipid quantification, without the need for sample preparation. Tests showed that a shift in the resonance frequency of a RF open-ended coaxial resonator and a gradual increase in its resonance magnitude may occur as the lipids content of microalgae cells increases. These response parameters can be then calibrated against actual cellular lipid contents and used for rapid determination of the cellular lipids. The average duration of lipid quantification using the proposed technique was of about 1 minute, which is significantly less than all other conventional techniques, and was achieved without the need for any time consuming treatment steps.
authors.affiliation: Electrical Engineering Department/College of Engineering, United Arab Emirates University, P.O. Box 15551, Al-Ain, UAE, Tel: (971-3) 713 5150, Fax: (971-3) 713 4970.
authors.forename: Mahmoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Al Ahmad
authors.affiliation: Chemical Engineering Department/College of Engineering, United Arab Emirates University, P.O. Box 15551, Al-Ain, UAE.
authors.forename: Sulaiman
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Al-Zuhair
authors.affiliation: Chemical Engineering Department/College of Engineering, United Arab Emirates University, P.O. Box 15551, Al-Ain, UAE.
authors.forename: Hanifa
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Taher
authors.affiliation: Mechanical Engineering Department/College of Engineering, United Arab Emirates University, P.O. Box 15551, Al-Ain, UAE.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hilal-Alnaqbi
mesh_terms: D056804:Biofuels; D018533:Biomass; D008055:Lipids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D058086:Microalgae / Q000737:chemistry*; D057233:Radio Frequency Identification Device
chemical_list: D056804:Biofuels; D008055:Lipids