Colorful Diversity─Modified Methods for Extraction and Quantification of Photopigments and Phycobiliproteins Isolated from Phototrophic Micro- and Macroalgae

Abstract

In the course of combining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with the science education curriculum, the relevance of the micro- and macroalgae in education is based on the biotechnological future-oriented significance and the ever-growing trend toward plant-based nutrition. So, the micro- and macroalgae are finding their way onto the food shelves and creating biotechnological solutions with regard to climate change (SDG4; SDG13). Their colored photopigments and phycobiliproteins are already established as important natural dyes in the food and textile industries. In addition to being essential in photosynthesis, photopigments have a variety of functions and effects that influence almost all aspects of our lives. The article presents experimental protocols developed based on the established methods for the extraction of photopigments from plants and optimized for the use of phototrophic micro- and macroalgae (Chlorella vulgaris, Arthrospira platensis, and Palmaria palmata). Besides the green chlorophylls and yellow-orange carotenoids in plants, cyanobacteria and red algae developed additional light antenna complexes, so-called phycobilisomes, consisting of different phycobiliproteins. For this purpose, experiments that are simple to execute have been developed to make the colorful world of photopigments visible to the students from the upper secondary level and can be used in both university and school educational settings. Furthermore, a column chromatography was developed, which allows the preparation of the pigment and phycobiliprotein extracts from A. platensis. This procedure is based on the established “supermarket column” and was optimized according to the use of powdered amounts of A. platensis. Additionally, results from a first implementation in a classroom setting will be discussed.