Production of Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis Enriched in β-Glucans through Phosphorus Limitation

Giorgos Markou,Dimitrios Arapoglou,Anthoula Argyri,Christos Eliopoulos

doi:10.3390/app11178121

Giorgos Markou, Dimitrios Arapoglou + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/app11178121

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Journal: Applied sciences	Publication Date: Sep 1, 2021
Citations: 13	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: National Agricultural Research Foundation

Abstract

(1) Background: Arthrospira (commonly known as Spirulina) is an edible cyanobacterium that is produced worldwide as a food supplement owing to its high nutritional value. Arthrospira displays strong potential as an important ingredient in the development of novel functional foods. Polysaccharides from Arthrospira are biologically active compounds and hence there is interest in producing biomass rich in carbohydrates. (2) Methods: A. platensis was cultivated under different degrees of phosphorus limitation in order to trigger the accumulation of carbohydrates. The biomass was then characterized in terms of its content of α- and β-glucans, total dietary fiber and monosaccharide profile. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used for the rapid analysis of the main biomass components. (3) Results: Phosphorus limitation resulted in an increase in carbohydrates (from 23% up to 65% dry biomass) of which 4–12% (in relation to the dry biomass) was α-glucans and 20–34% was 1.3:1.6 β-glucans, while 1.4:1.6 β-glucans were not detected. Total dietary fibers ranged from 20–32% (of dry biomass), whereas among the carbohydrates, the predominant monosaccharide was glucose (>95%). FTIR performed well when applied as a prediction tool for the main biomass components. (4) Conclusions: Since β-glucans are of particular interest as biologically active compounds, this study demonstrates that phosphorus-limited A. platensis could be a potential ingredient for the development of novel functional foods.

Highlights

Microalgae and cyanobacteria are a very interesting group of photosynthetic microorganisms that have strong potential for use in the food industry as a source of valuable biomolecules
(4) Conclusions: Since β-glucans are of particular interest as biologically active compounds, this study demonstrates that phosphorus-limited A. platensis could be a potential ingredient for the development of novel functional foods
The results of the present study demonstrate that the process of phosphorus limitation could be optimized in order to cultivate A. platensis in long-term cultivation processes by providing phosphorus at amounts that can support cell multiplication while at the same time triggering the down-synthesis of proteins and accumulation of carbohydrates

Summary

Introduction

Microalgae and cyanobacteria are a very interesting group of photosynthetic microorganisms that have strong potential for use in the food industry as a source of valuable biomolecules (proteins, lipids, pigments, etc.). They have attracted increased interest as cell factories, and as an alternative pathway to traditional practices that employ heterotrophs. As they are photosynthetic microorganisms, they might provide simpler cultivation facilities and easier processes (no sterilization required, low contamination potential, etc.) for the production of biomass and the subsequent biomolecules [1,2,3]. The most common carbohydrate types found in microalgae and cyanobacteria are cellulose as structural carbohydrates (in microalgae), and starch (in microalgae) or glycogen (in cyanobacteria) as energy storage molecules [8]

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