Enhancing phycocyanin yield from Spirulina sp. under salt stress using various extraction methods.

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Phycology
• Natural Products Chemistry

Background:

• Phycocyanin, a blue pigment from Spirulina, possesses antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.
• Commercial production is limited by inefficient and quality-compromising extraction methods.
• Sustainable and scalable extraction techniques are crucial for utilizing phycocyanin's potential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and optimize a reliable phycocyanin extraction strategy from Spirulina biomass.
• To evaluate the efficacy of different physical cell disruption methods and buffers.
• To assess the impact of salt stress on phycocyanin yield and purity.

Main Methods:

• Extraction of phycocyanin from wet and dry Spirulina biomass.
• Application of physical cell disruption techniques: ultrasonication, homogenization, and freeze-thaw cycles.
• Utilisation of phosphate buffer, acetate buffer, and water as extraction media.

Main Results:

• The freeze-thaw method with acetate buffer yielded the highest phycocyanin concentration (25.013 ± 2.572 mg/100 mg) and purity (0.806 ± 0.079).
• Optimized extraction under 30% salt stress resulted in a 1.9-fold increase in phycocyanin yield.
• Enhanced purity ratios were observed under salt stress conditions (1.402 ± 0.609).

Conclusions:

• Freeze-thaw cycles combined with acetate buffer offer an effective method for high-yield phycocyanin extraction from Spirulina.
• The optimized extraction protocol demonstrates resilience and enhanced productivity under saline conditions.
• This study provides a foundation for scalable and sustainable commercial production of high-quality phycocyanin.