Abstract: In the face of energy crisis, using microalgae to produce biofuel and high value-added products has attracted great attention. Microalgae constitute a diverse group of microorganisms with advantages like fast and efficient growth. In addition, they do not compete for arable land and offer very high lipid yield potential. Microalgae are currently considered as the most promising alternative sources for the next generation of food, feed, cosmetics and renewable energy in the form of biofuel. Major challenges for the development of this resource are to select lipid-rich strains using high-throughput staining for neutral lipid content in microalgae species. Compared with traditional quality method, the fluorescent staining method is simpler, cheaper and easier to operate. In this article, the properties of fluorescent Nile red and BODIPY and the use of fluorescent for lipid measurement in microalgae were summarized.

Key words: Nile red, BODIPY, microalgae, lipid-staining