Spectrophotometric Assays of Major Compounds Extracted from Algae

This chapter describes spectrophotometric assays of major compounds extracted from microalgae and macroalgae, i.e., proteins, carbohydrates, pigments (chlorophylls, carotenoids, and phycobiliproteins) and phenolic compounds. In contrast to other specific analytical techniques, such as high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) or mass spectrometry (MS), commonly applied to purified extracts to reveal more detailed composition and structure of algal compound families, these assays serve as a first assessment of the global contents of extracts.