Recovery of pure B-phycoerythrin from the microalga Porphyridium cruentum

• Published in: Journal of biotechnology 2002-01, Vol.93 (1), p.73-85
• Main Authors: Bermejo Román, R., Alvárez-Pez, J.M., Acién Fernández, F.G., Molina Grima, E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: B-phycoerythrin; Biological and medical sciences; Biomass; Biotechnology; Chromatography, DEAE-Cellulose; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Phycobiliproteins; phycocyanins; phycoerythrin; Phycoerythrin - isolation & purification; Phycoerythrins; Porphyridium cruentum; Rhodophyta - chemistry; Rhodophyta - growth & development; Scale-up; Spectrophotometry
• ISSN: 0168-1656; 1873-4863
• DOI: 10.1016/S0168-1656(01)00385-6

Phycoerythrin is a major light-harvesting pigment of red algae and cyanobacteria that is widely used as a fluorescent probe and analytical reagent. In this paper, B-phycoerythrin and R-phycocyanin in native state, from the red alga Porphyridium cruentum were obtained by an inexpensive and simple process. The best results of this purification procedure were scaled up by a factor of 13 to a large preparative level using an anionic chromatographic column of DEAE cellulose. Gradient elution with acetic acid-sodium acetate buffer (pH 5.5) was used. In these conditions both 32% of B-phycoerythrin and 12% of R-phycocyanin contained in the biomass of the microalgae was recovered. B-phycoerythrin was homogeneous as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-poly-acrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), yielding three migrating bands corresponding to its three subunits, consistent with the (αβ) 6γ subunit composition characteristic of this biliprotein and the spectroscopic characterization of B-PE (UV–visible absorption and emission spectroscopy; steady-state and polarization fluorescence), is accompanied. Finally, a preliminary cost analysis of the recovery process is presented.