A newer approach for the primary extraction of allophycocyanin with high purity and yield from dry biomass of Arthrospira platensis

Conventional extraction methods are able to extract only 50-60% of the total allophycocyanin (A-PC) present in a given biomass. One of the reasons is the resistance offered by the cell membrane for its disruption. The present study is aimed at screening different conventional methods and their combinations (to explore synergy) to arrive at the most suitable methodology for the primary extraction of A-PC from dry biomass of Arthrospira platensis. A synergistic effect was observed on employing ultrasonication in combination with other conventional methods. Ultrasonication with freezing and thawing resulted in the highest A-PC extraction efficiency of 93.11%. The problem of purification of A-PC when extracted along with c-phycocyanin (C-PC), due to same biochemical properties, could be overcome by carrying out 'ultrasonication followed by sequential extraction employing freezing and thawing'. A-PC with an yield of 40% (devoid of C-PC) with a purity of 1.15 could be extracted, the highest reported till date during primary extraction itself.