Abstract
BackgroundMost commercial phycocyanins are extracted from a filamentous cyanobacterium, Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis. Owing to the expenses of culture and complexities of the physical and chemical methods of phycocyanin purification, a more effective and simple method is required.ResultsWe developed a new method for efficiently recovering the blue pigment protein, phycocyanin, from unique filamentous cyanobacteria, Pseudanabaena sp. ABRG5-3 and Limnothrix sp. SK1-2-1. The cells were cultivated in economy medium BG11 and lysed by adding water in a 1:16 ratio of wet cells to water. After extraction and purification, 28–30% dry cell weight of phycocyanin was obtained and its purity was confirmed. The stabilities of the phycocyanins at different pH in the presence of high temperature and light conditions and their antioxidant abilities were assessed. Results indicated that the phycocyanins were stable and possessed antioxidant properties. Interestingly, the Pseudanabaena phycocyanin was less likely to deteriorate under acidic conditions.ConclusionsOverall, we developed a promising and novel method for producing high functional phycocyanin concentrations at a low cost. The possibilities of adapting this new phycocyanin biorefinery to unique bioreactor utilization have also been discussed.
Highlights
Most commercial phycocyanins are extracted from a filamentous cyanobacterium, Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis
Significant amounts of phycocyanin accumulated in ABRG5-3 and SK1-2-1, but not in National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES)-39 in the BG11-medium, when the filamentous cyanobacteria were cultivated in the BG11 or SOT medium for 30 days
NIES-39 grew well and produced phycocyanin in the SOT medium, ABRG5-3 and SK1-2-1 did not grow in SOT medium
Summary
Most commercial phycocyanins are extracted from a filamentous cyanobacterium, Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis. Owing to the expenses of culture and complexities of the physical and chemical methods of phycocyanin purification, a more effective and simple method is required. As phycocyanin is soluble in water, cells have to be first disrupted using physical or chemical methods for extracting the pigment. The physical methods’ expenses and complexities, such as repeated freeze-thawing of cyanobacterial cells [15] or ultrasonication [16] are high. The expenses associated with the chemical methods are high, as phosphate buffer, acetate buffer, hexane, and solvents with sodium chloride or sodium azide are used [15, 17]. Owing to the expenses and complexities of the physical and chemical methods of phycocyanin purification, a more effective and simple method is required
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