Extraction and Purification of R-phycoerythrin from Marine Red Algae

This chapter focuses on the recovery of an R-Phycoerythrin (R-PE)-enriched fraction from marine algae. Since R-PE is a proteinaceous pigment, we have developed a simple and rapid two-step method devoted to the extraction and purification of R-PE from marine red algae. Here we describe a phosphate buffer extraction followed by anion exchange chromatography carried on a DEAE Sepharose Fast Flow column. To ensure the quality and quantity of R-PE recovery, we also indicate different methods to monitor each fraction obtained, such as spectrophotometric indicators, gel filtration, and SDS-PAGE analysis.