Property Description
In 2020, during the 4th National Antarctic Science Expedition conducted under a TÜBİTAK 1001 project, systematic microalgae samples were collected from diverse Antarctic microhabitats. Samples from coastal basins, shallow ponds, meltwater surfaces, and supraglacial areas were documented with in-situ measurements of temperature, pH, and conductivity, and transported to the laboratory under sterile conditions and a maintained cold chain. In the laboratory, enrichment cultures were established under low-temperature conditions; pure psychrotolerant strains were obtained via single-colony isolation; and molecular confirmations supported morphological observations.
As a result of these studies, the foundations of Türkiye’s first Antarctic Microalgae Culture Collection were laid. Isolates were catalogued with ASYA codes; archived with detailed metadata—origin (habitat/location), environmental parameters, growth conditions, and phenotypic traits—preserved for the long term (cryopreservation/low-temperature culture), and subjected to periodic viability checks. Selected strains have been made accessible under appropriate sharing policies and material transfer agreements (MTA).
This collection constitutes the country’s first reference archive in extremophilic microorganisms and provides a strategic resource for research and product/process development targeting natural UV protectants, extracellular polysaccharides, and other biocomponents