Applicability of flow imaging microscopy (FlowCAM) as a ballast water investigation tool

With the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ship's Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM Convention) in force, exploring an efficient tool for organism detection is critical for successful ballast water management. We evaluated the capability of flow imaging microscopy (FlowCAM) for investigating the abundance, size, and classification of 10-50 mu m organisms in ballast water by comparing with a fluorescence microscope (Olympus BX53). FlowCAM (10x) performed better than FlowCAM (20x) for abundance measures, showing a significant correlation with the results of the microscope (R2 = 0.9966). And there existed significant differences in the counting results of Prorocentrum micans generated by FlowCAM (10x), FlowCAM (20x), the microscope (p < 0.05). We found that W (Width) showed the minimum dimension measurement. In addition, we can identify particles with a W between 10.0 and 53.5 mu m as 10-50 mu m organisms classified in the BWM Convention D-2 standard. For some species, recognition rates generated by FlowCAM were significantly lower than the microscope (p < 0.05), indicating that the identification accuracy of FlowCAM needs to be further improved. The results of our study showed that FlowCAM may become a promising tool for ballast water analysis if instrumental sensitivity and biological characteristics can be taken into account.(c) 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

With the BWM Convention in force, finding an efficient tool for organism detection is crucial for ballast water management. FlowCAM, compared with a fluorescence microscope, showed better performance in abundance measures and significant correlation. However, there were differences in counting results and lower recognition rates compared to the microscope, indicating the need for further improvement. Overall, FlowCAM has the potential to become a promising tool for ballast water analysis if instrumental sensitivity and biological characteristics are considered.