Instructions For Preparing Broth For Chlorella vulgaris and
Measuring Cell Density
For Measuring Cell Density for Algae Cultures
Detach flowtube from the top of algae reactor.
Take the syringe and attach it to the inlet of the top of the
algae reactor and pull it out a sufficient amount of the algae.
(Rinse with DI water three times and spray the tip of the syringe
each time to ensure sterility.)
Fill 1 ml cuvettes with the solution with the algae to the
marked line on the cuvette and place them in their respective
locations on the table to ensure the right cuvette is taken for the
OD reading on the spectrometer. Picture shows an example on how to
best organize this...
Once the cuvettes are placed, cover the tops of the cuvettes
with little pieces of parafilm to prevent contamination.
Then go to the spectrometer, as seen from the picture below, and
turn it on.
After turning on the spectrometer, press the second top button
under set to adjust to desired wavelength and press Enter.
Fill an empty 1 ml cuvette with DI water and use as the blank to
calibrate spectrometer and press the button where it says, measure
blank.
Once it is calibrated, you may now insert the cuvettes and take
OD readings one at a time.
(Remember, each time when you need to do measurements at a
different wavelength, the spectrometer needs to be calibrated again
using the blank cuvette with DI water.When measuring OD readings,
record the results found in the laboratory notebook that can be
found in the lab titled, Algae Growth Systems 002 SDSU 2013 and
sign once the measurements or whatever experiments related to algae
are completed.
