Nile Red Staining for Oil Determination in Microalgal Cells: A New Insight through Statistical Modelling

Figure 7

A schematic diagram showing the pathway that drives Nile red interaction with microalgal intracellular lipid. Stage 1: dissolution of Nile red dye in the carrier solvent; Stage 2: diffusion of the dye-solvent complex across the cell wall and the cell membrane into the cell; Stage 3: transfer of the dye to the lipid globule; Stage 4: interaction of the dye with the lipid globule resulting in fluorescence; and Stage 5: diffusion of the carrier solvent out of the cell.