The beads were subsequently harvested and washed with sterile water followed
by medium. These were then left to air dry on Petri plates
inside a UV-sterilized laminar flow cabinet with HEPA filters.
The dried beads were stored in sterile vials at room temperature
and in dark. Cells were regenerated from alginate beads
every 3 months to study the performance of calcium alginate
as preserving material for cyanobacteria.