Enhanced Liberation of Soluble Sugar, Protein, and R-Phycoerythrin Under Enzyme-Assisted Extraction on Dried and Fresh Gracilaria gracilis Biomass

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the bio-refinery process through an enzyme-assisted extraction (EAE) on freeze-dried and fresh macroalgae Gracilaria gracilis for the release of water-soluble components (R-phycoerythrin, proteins, and sugar). Three enzymes, cellulase, protease, and enzyme cocktail (mixture of cellulase and protease), were applied in the study. Results showed that freeze-dried biomass yielded the highest target components in the presence of enzyme cocktail while a single enzyme was better with fresh biomass, either protease for the release of R-PE and protein or cellulase for sugar. The extraction of protein and sugar was improved by 43% and 57%, respectively, from fresh biomass compared to dried biomass. The difference of biomass status was shown to affect the required enzyme and recovery yield during the extraction process. Employing an enzyme cocktail on freeze-dried biomass boosted the extraction yield, which was probably due to the complementary effect between enzymes. On the other hand, single enzyme worked better on fresh biomass, giving economic benefits (enzyme limitation and drying stage) for further implementation of the bio-refinery process. Thus, biomass treatment (fresh or freeze-dried) and enzyme-type determined the efficiency of enzyme-assisted extraction according to the target components.

Biopigments (Phycoerythrin, Fucoxanthin and Siphonaxanthin) from Seaweeds and Their Potential Applications as Ingredients in Cosmeceutical Industries: A Review

“…This pigment is the main phycobiliprotein found in red seaweed (Rhodophyta) [15], such as Euchema sp, Gelidium sp [16], Gelidium amansii [17], Gelidum elegans [13], Gelidium pusillum [18], Gracilaria sp. [5], Gracilaria changii [19], Gracilaria gracilis [20,21], Halymenia sp. [16], Halymenia durvillaei [22], Pyropia haitanensis [23], etc.…”

“…There are conventional and non-conventional methods for extracting biopigments (PE, FX, and SX) from seaweeds. Conventional techniques comprise maceration with buffer [46,71,82], water [20], DMSO-water [27], and organic solvents [35,39,75,[83][84][85], whereas non-conventional techniques include enzyme-assisted extraction (EAE) [21,56,86], ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) [49], combination of UAE and EAE [87], combination of high pressure-assisted extraction (HPAE) and UAE [72], combination of ME, UAE and HPAE [53], supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) [88], pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) [89], and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) [90].…”

A Review on a Hidden Gem: Phycoerythrin from Blue-Green Algae

“…A purity value of 0.7 is considered food grade, values between 0.7 and 3.9 are classified as reagent grade, and a value greater than 4.0 is regarded as analytical grade [ 141 ]. The market price of purified PE ranged between 180 and 250 USD per milligram, depending on the final purity level and intended applications [ 142 , 143 ]. When PE is extracted for food industries, purity is not a concern, and the price can be easily reduced.…”