Enhancement of phycocyanin extraction from Spirulina platensis by freeze-thaw method: A study about sinergy with ultrasonication process and optimization of freezing time.

Spirulina platensis is a cyanobacterial species that is rich in high-value biochemicals, including phycocyanin at a significant level. Phycocyanin is a light blue phycobiliprotein pigment. Phycocyanin can be used as a food coloring, for biochemical analysis, and as an active ingredient in pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products. To obtain phycocyanin in sufficient quantity and purity, an effective and efficient extraction technique is needed. Freeze-thaw is one of the well-known method for the phycocyanin and the synergy with ultrasonication method showed a promising enhancement. This study aimed to evaluate the phycocyanin extraction effectiveness by the synergy of freeze-thaw with the ultrasonication method. Beside that, this study also optimized the duration of freezing procedure. The extraction performance was evaluated based on the phycocyanin yield (YPC) and purity level (PPC) measurements. The result showed that ultrasonication gave crude extract with higher YPC rather than the crude extract from the freeze-thaw process alone. Meanwhile, the 3 hours of freezing was the most optimal freezing duration with YPC = 36.376 mg/g and PPC = 0.827. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]