A Combination of Aqueous Extraction and Ultrafiltration for the Purification of Phycocyanin from Arthrospira maxima

Abstract

The purification of phycocyanin (PC) from Spirulina generally involves a combination of different techniques. Here, we report the results on PC yields from a combined aqueous extraction-ultrafiltration (UF) process of a strain of Arthrospira maxima cultivated in a farm devoted to producing PC with food-grade purity. Samples optimized from different biomass/solvent ratios were purified by using a polyethersulphone (PES) membrane with a molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) of 20 kDa. The UF system was operated at 2.0 ± 0.1 bar and at 24 ± 2 °C up to a volume concentration factor (VCF) of 5. A diafiltration (DF) process was conducted after UF in order to increase the PC recovery in the retentate. Samples were collected during both UF and DF processes in order to evaluate membrane productivity and PC purity. The average permeate fluxes of about 14.4 L/m2h were measured in the selected operating conditions and more than 96% of PC was rejected by the UF membrane independently ofthe extraction yields and times. The concentration of PC in the final retentate was 1.17 mg/mL; this confirmed the observed rejection and the final VCF of the process (about 5-fold when compared to the concentration of PC in the crude extract). In addition, the combination of UF and diafiltration allowed the removal of about 91.7% of the DNA from the crude extract, thereby improving the purity of the phycocyanin in the retentate fraction.

Ultrasonic-Assisted Extraction and Antioxidant Potential of Valuable Protein from Ulva rigida Macroalgae

“…SDS-PAGE electrophoresis was performed according to Nisticò et al (2022) [ 28 ] with minor modifications. The polyacrylamide gel was performed in a vertical slab gel apparatus (Mini-PROTEAN system, Bio-Rad, Hercules, CA, USA) using discontinuous gels, which were 1.0 mm thick and contained 0.1% SDS.…”

Partial Removal of Sugar from Apple Juice by Nanofiltration and Discontinuous Diafiltration

“…Each subsequent dilution should remove more of the small molecules [ 26 ]. Typical applications have been studied for the recovery of biochemical products from their fermentation broths [ 27 , 28 ], the purification of water-soluble nanoparticles [ 29 ], the reduction of alcohol content from alcoholic beverages [ 30 ], the purification of phycocyanin from Spirulina ( Arthrospira maxima ) [ 31 ], and the separation of sugars from biologically active compounds [ 23 , 32 ], among many others.…”

Physiological and Metabolic Response of Arthrospira maxima to Organophosphates

“…Based on this evidence, this study aims to explore the effects of a deliberate treatment with glyphosate on the selected cultivation of Arthrospira maxima (synonymy Spirulina maxima ), a species largely cultivated as animal and human food additives and as a source of c-phycocyanin, a bioactive antioxidant molecule [ 11 , 12 ].…”