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Updated: Feb 12, 2026

Early Detection of Cyanobacterial Blooms and Associated Cyanotoxins using Fast Detection Strategy
Published on: February 25, 2021
Changes in microbial communities during volatile fatty acid production from cyanobacterial biomass harvested from a
Hyun Uk Cho1, Young Mo Kim2, Jong Moon Park3
1School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, 77 Cheongam-ro, Nam-gu, Pohang, Gyeongbuk 37673, Republic of Korea; Bioenergy Research Center, Pohang University of Science and Technology, 77 Cheongam-ro, Nam-gu, Pohang, Gyeongbuk 37673, Republic of Korea.
Abstract:
Volatile fatty acid (VFA) production, utilization of soluble organic compounds, and associated microbial consortia were investigated after different pretreatments (untreated, alkaline, and thermal-alkaline) using cyanobacterial biomass as a substrate. Compared to the untreated control, soluble carbohydrate concentrations were almost the same after alkaline and thermal-alkaline pretreatments, but soluble protein concentration was 1.58 times higher after alkaline pretreatment and 1.81 times higher after thermal-alkaline pretreatment. However, the highest degree of acidification was obtained after alkaline pretreatment (55.36 ± 3.00%). Microbial communities in the untreated control differed only slightly from those after thermal-alkaline pretreatment, but were clearly distinct from those after alkaline pretreatment. After alkaline pretreatment, protein-utilizing bacteria became relatively predominant. These results revealed the relationships between efficiency of VFA production and the shift in microbial community.
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