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Review
. 2022 Dec 1:10:1065355.
doi: 10.3389/fchem.2022.1065355. eCollection 2022.

Extraction and purification of phycobiliproteins from algae and their applications

Gabriela Kovaleski  1   2 , Mariam Kholany  1 , Lília M S Dias  2 , Sandra F H Correia  3 , Rute A S Ferreira  2 , João A P Coutinho  1 , Sónia P M Ventura  1
Affiliations
Review

Extraction and purification of phycobiliproteins from algae and their applications

Gabriela Kovaleski et al. Front Chem. .

Abstract

Microalgae, macroalgae and cyanobacteria are photosynthetic microorganisms, prokaryotic or eukaryotic, living in saline or freshwater environments. These have been recognized as valuable carbon sources, able to be used for food, feed, chemicals, and biopharmaceuticals. From the range of valuable compounds produced by these cells, some of the most interesting are the pigments, including chlorophylls, carotenoids, and phycobiliproteins. Phycobiliproteins are photosynthetic light-harvesting and water-soluble proteins. In this work, the downstream processes being applied to recover fluorescent proteins from marine and freshwater biomass are reviewed. The various types of biomasses, namely macroalgae, microalgae, and cyanobacteria, are highlighted and the solvents and techniques applied in the extraction and purification of the fluorescent proteins, as well as their main applications while being fluorescent/luminescent are discussed. In the end, a critical perspective on how the phycobiliproteins business may benefit from the development of cost-effective downstream processes and their integration with the final application demands, namely regarding their stability, will be provided.

Keywords: R-phycoerythrin; applications; extraction; phycobiliproteins; purification.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
(A) Photographs of a bundle of cylindrical LSCs and a planar LSC based on R-PE solutions under AM1.5G. Scale bars: 1 cm; (B) Emission spectra of the R-PE solutions excited at 498 nm; (C) (i) Solar photon flux on Earth at AM1.5G, (ii) absolute absorbance of 1.7 × 10–7 M (blue line), 3.3 × 10–7 M (red line), and 17 × 10–7 M (green line), and (iii) integral overlap between the solar photon flux and the absolute absorbance. Reproduced with permission from Frias et al., 2019. Copyright 2019, Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
(A) Photograph of the LSC/sensor based on a glass container filled with PC-based aqueous solutions under AM1.5G illumination. The PV cell is located at the bottom edge. PC-based optical sensors temperature-dependent (B) emission and (C) excitation spectra excited at 380 nm and monitored at 715 nm, respectively, and (D) emission spectra and (E) generated short-circuit current under solar simulator irradiation. Reproduced from (Correia et al., 2022) under a CC BY 4.0 license.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
(A) Photographs of PC incorporated in PVA (Dias et al., 2022) under white light (top) and UV irradiation at 365 nm (bottom). Scale bars: 10–2 m. (B) Emission and excitation spectra excited at 575 nm and monitored at 720, respectively. The c-Si spectral response is shown on the right y-axis. (B) Excitation spectra for R-PE/PVA, C-PC/PVA, and FX/PVA monitored at 720 nm. The shadowed area represents the AM1.5G solar spectrum (right y-axis). Reproduced from (Dias et al., 2022) under a CC BY 4.0 license.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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