SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION OF PHYCOCYANIN FROM SPIRULINA PLATENSIS USING DIFFERENT DRYING METHODS UNDER INDOOR AND OUTDOOR CONDITION


Abeer M. A. Mahmoud

National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries.

E-mail: [email protected]

Received 22/ 4/ 2014

Accepted 8/ 6/ 2014

Abstract

The blue-green alga Spirulina platensis is a source of phycocyanin pigment which has highly commercial uses in food colorant, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. This paper describes the isolation and extraction of phycocyanin from Spirulina platensis using an alkaline buffer and different drying methods under indoor and outdoor conditions.

Spirulina platensis was cultivated in an open outdoor photo-bioreactor and in two glass aquarium (10 L) with Zarrouk’s medium using different sources of nitrogen. The results showed that ; the highest mass production and purity ratio of phycocyanin and the lowest percentage of phycocyanin loss were conducted under outdoor condition in large scale low-cost photo-bioreactor and the fresh biomass was the best for large amount of phycocyanin (0.097 g/L) with the highest purity ratio (1.06) and the loss percentage of (3%). In addition, there was a low-cost synthetic medium by using urea as commercial fertilizer instead of analytical grade sodium nitrate as nitrogen source in Zarrouk’s medium and commercial grade sodium bicarbonate instead of analytical grade. This high amount of phycocyanin with high purity and low-cost can be used in food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.

Keywords: Phycocyanin; Spirulina platensis; blue-green algae; drying methods; purity ratio.