Protein С-phycocyanin, structure, physicochemical and biological properties, methods of extraction.

С-phycocyanin (phycocyanin) is a pigment-protein complex of the lightharvesting phycobiliprotein family that takes part in the primary phase of photosynthesis in lower plants. The phycocyanin content depends on such factors as the species of microalgae, physical state of biomass, extraction techniques, etc. The main methods for obtaining phycocyanin from biomass include chemical, physical and enzyme treatments with the following purification by such methods as precipitation with ammonium sulfate, ion exchange chromatography, and gel filtration chromatography. The commercial value of phycocyanin is directly related to the methods of its obtaining, purification and purity. The ratio of absorbances A620/A280 indicates the grade of phycocyanin and is the principal index of its purity. If the ratio of A620/A280 is greater than 4, phycocyanin can be used for pharmaceutical and analytical studies; at not less than 0.7, phycocyanin can be used for the food industry and at not less than 3.9 phycocyanin can be used as a reagent. The purified phycocyanin has some absorption maxima at the wavelengths of 610-625 nm, 353 nm and 277 nm. Its molecular mass ranges from 110 to 220 kDa. The search for extraction methods is aimed at obtaining a high yield of phycocyanin of an appropriate purity in industrial scale. This will allow a wider introduction of phycocyanin into the food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries as a safe product with many positive biological properties, in particular, antioxidant, antitumor, antiplatelet, antibacterial, hypotensive, anti-inflammatory, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]