Isolation and Characterization of Pigments from Algae for Use as Natural Colorants. Phase 1.

摘要

Carotenoid and proteinaceous pigments were obtained from various microalgae capable of producing relatively high intracellular pigment concentrations. Researchers were able to grow all the organisms tested (8 species) in simple mineral salts media and, under these optimal growth conditions, pigment productivities ranged from 1.0 to 26.2 mg dry-weight of pigment per liter of culture per day. Carotenoids were extracted and partially purified by subjecting dried algal biomass to saponification in methanolic potassium hydroxide followed by extraction of the pigments into hexane. Attempts to obtain strains that overproduced carotenoids by using the herbicide norflurazon (an inhibitor of carotenoid biosynthesis) to select for resistance were unsuccessful. The costs of producing algal pigments by an industrial fermentation process were calculated and it was determined that the algal productivity would need to be increased at least 100-fold in order for algal production to be commercially viable for the colors industry.