Comparison of freezing and pasteurization as long-term preservation methods for nutrient samples collected from inshore coastal waters

Le résumé fourni par la source

Within the framework of the EuroGO-SHIP Project, an experiment on the long-term preservation of nutrients in seawater samples was conducted in May 2023 using high-salinity, low-nutrient continental shelf waters from the Gulf of Trieste. Sample comparison included filtered and non-filtered samples, preserved by both freezing and pasteurization techniques. The results indicated that neither of these methods is individually ideal for the long-term (6- and 12-month) preservation of seawater samples, although freezing is less affected by experimental biases than pasteurization. Syringe filtration (0.22 𝜇m pore size MCE filters) can cause the breakage of plankton cells and the release of nitrogen into the samples, whereas pasteurization can cause the remineralization of dissolved organic phosphorus and the release of phosphorus and silicate from marine particulate matter. Experimental results indicated that the best preservation method should be chosen depending on the biogeochemical characteristics of the marine system studied

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