Photobiological Effects on Biochemical Composition in Porphyridium cruentum (Rhodophyta) with a Biotechnological Application

Abstract

This study describes the relation of photosynthetic capacity, growth and biochemical compounds in the microalgae Porphyridium cruentum under saturated irradiance (200 μmol m −2 s −1 ) by white light (WL) and low-pressure sodium vapor lamps (SOX lamps-control) and supplemented by fluorescent lamps (FLs) with different light qualities (blue: λ max = 440 nm; green: λ max = 560 nm; and red: λ max = 660 nm). The maximum photosynthetic efficiency (F v / F m ) showed a positive correlation with the light quality by saturating light SOX in mixture with stimulating blue light than the white light (WL) at the harvest day (10 days). The production, that is maximal electron transport rate (ETR max ), and energy dissipation, that is maximal nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ max ), had the same pattern throughout the time (3-6 days) being the values higher under white light (WL) compared with SOX and SOX plus supplemented different light qualities. Total protein levels increased significantly in the presence of SOX light, while phycoerythrin (B-PE) showed significant differences under SOX+ blue light. Arachidonic acid (ARA) was higher under SOX and SOX plus supplemented different light qualities than that under WL, whereas eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) was the reverse. The high photomorphogenic potential by SOX light shows promising application for microalgal biotechnology.

Impact of Biomass Drying Process on the Extraction Efficiency of C-Phycoerythrin

“…The primary source of industrial-grade PE are strains from the red algae Porphyridium sp., especially P. cruentum [ 18 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 ] and P. purpureum [ 17 , 18 , 19 , 33 , 34 ]. However, this genus is also known as a primary source of sulfated EPS; therefore, the available protocols for extracting PE are adapted to the unique requirements of these unicellular red algae, which makes the extraction and recovery process tedious and time-consuming [ 35 ].…”