Optimization of carotenoid extraction of a halophilic microalgae

Dunaliella parva can produce abundant carotenoids under certain conditions. This paper optimized the extraction efficiency of carotenoids from D. parva. Different organic solvents were examined to determine the most suitable solvent for the extraction. After the determination of the solvent (dimethylsulfoxide, DMSO), the extraction conditions including time, temperature, and volume were then optimized to maximize the extraction efficiency of carotenoids from D. parva using response surface methodology. DMSO was identified as the most suitable solvent. The optimal extraction conditions were as follows: temperature of 57.2°C, time of 11.35 min, the volume of 410 μl, and the optimal extraction efficiency reached 0.517‰. The results showed that the optimal extraction efficiency (0.517‰) improved 31.69% in comparison to the initial extraction efficiency (0.3926‰). In addition, The optimal levels of three influence factors (temperature of 57.2°C, time of 11.35 min, volume of 410 μl) decreased compared with the initial levels (temperature of 60°C, time of 20 min, volume of 1000 μl). In this paper, Central Composite Design (CCD) was used to optimize the extraction efficiency of carotenoids from D. parva, which would lay the groundwork for the extraction and utilization of carotenoids from D. parva in the future.