The bead-beating method involves the application of beads for the disruption of the algal cell wall. Continuous exposure of biomass to beads leads to cell-wall rupture, resulting in the release of intracellular contents into the solvent medium. Similar to expeller pressing, this method can also be applied for both disruption and extraction. The influence of bead beating on cell-wall disruption was evaluated for the strains Botrycoccus braunii, Chlorella vulgaris, and Scenedesmus sp. using a bead beater (bead diameter of 0.1 mm) (Lee et al., 2010). The method showed a lipid productivity of 28.1%.

Though the disruption of algae cell walls prior to extraction requires an additional step, which is the selection of a cost-effective method, it helps to enhance lipid production efficien­cies. The methods discussed here are economical and applicable to mass cultures compared to few other techniques, such as microwaves, sonication, and autoclaving.