Optimisation of glycogen quantification in mixed microbial cultures

This study addressed the key factors affecting the extraction and quantification of glycogen from floccular and granular mixed microbial cultures collected from activated sludge, nutrient removal systems and photosynthetic consortiums: acid concentration, hydrolysis time and concentration of biomass in the hydrolysis. Response surface modelling indicated that 0.9 M HCl and a biomass concentration of 1 mg mL−1 were optimal conditions for performing acid hydrolysis. Floccular samples only needed a 2-h hydrolysis time whereas granular samples required as much as 5 h. An intermediate 3 h yielded an error of 10% compared to the results obtained with the hydrolysis times specifically tailored to the type of biomass and can thus be recommended as a practical compromise.