Phycocyanin and Phycoerythrin

Phycocyanin and Phycoerythrin

Firstly you need to understand that phycocyanin and phycoerythrin both are photosynthetic pigments, which do have blue and red colors, respectively, and its found in microalgae, cyanobacteria, rhodophytes and cryptomonads. 

Their main uses are as food supplements, as natural colouring agents in cosmetics and food, and as a reagent in immunological assays.

However, their low yield during production and restricted chemical instability provide the biggest obstacles to their commercialization and adoption in food and cosmetic applications.

Whats microalgae

A broad group of aquatic microorganisms that can live in a wide range of environments, pH levels,

and temperatures are known as microalgae. Their growth requirements are straightforward, and they efficiently utilise light, carbon dioxide (CO2), and other inorganic nutrients.

How do we understand Phycocyanin and Phycoerythrin differences

To make your concepts clear regarding this read this box below.

PhycocyaninPhycoerythrin
Along with allophycocyanin and phycoerythrin, phycocyanin is a pigment-protein complex that belongs to the phycobiliprotein family, which captures light.Red algae include phycoerythrin (PE), a red protein-pigment complex from the family of phycobiliproteins that captures light and cryptophytes
Thus, it is a matching colour to chlorophyll.Additive to the primary chlorophyll pigments needed for photosynthesis
Also, phycocyanin absorbs orange and red light, especially near 620 nm, and has a distinctive light blue colour.Also, the prosthetic group phycoerythrobilin is what gives phycoerythrin its red colour.
Blue-green algae, often known as cyanobacteria, contain phycocyanins.Hence, It is made up of phycobilins, a protein component that covalently binds chromophores like all phycobiliproteins do.
Aphanizomenon flos-aquae and spirulina produce the substance phycocyanin,Infact, Phycoerythrins are made up of monomers that are often arranged into disk-shaped trimers or hexamers.

Techniques to enhance the yield of phycocyanin and phycoerythrin

In addition, Chlorophyll a and PBP, the two primary photosynthetic pigments, enable cyanobacteria to produce large amounts of organic material and with great photosynthetic efficiency.

However, PBP absorbs light energy at a wavelength of 450–660 nm, whereas chlorophyll does so at a wavelength of 430–680 nm.

 Hence, the cyanobacteria’s light-harvesting mechanism is greatly influence by the kind and intensity of the light, which has an impact on the accumulation of different photosynthetic pigments.

Strategies to improve pigment stability

Also adding additives is the most effective and straightforward technique to increase the stability of phycobiliproteins.

The majority of research has been on using chemicals to increase their heat stability.

Then this stabilising technique is simple to use and doesn’t call for expensive or specialised equipment. However, because significant volumes of chemicals may be require, low toxicity additives must be employ.

What purpose does phycocyanin serve in cyanobacteria

So In addition, an old class of photosynthetic prokaryotes known as cyanobacteriums is regarded to be the first species to perform oxygenic photosynthesis. But only cyanobacteria employ phycocyanin (PC) to absorb light energy for photosynthesis.

Spirulina: Does it include phycocyanin?

So phycocyanin is a pigment in spirulina and it is an intensely blue protein-pigment complex that belongs to the phycobiliprotein (PBP) family. The phycobilisome (PBS), a supplementary peripheral light-harvesting complex assemble on the surface of the thylacoid membrane, is built by PBPs.

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How is Phycocyanin made

How is Phycocyanin made

Phycocyanin

Phycocyanin is maybe a filamentous cyanobacterium that’s blue-green. It’s a pigment-protein complex from the phycobiliprotein family, which comes with allophycocyanin & phycoerythrin. It’s water-soluble.

Today we are going to discuss in detail that how Phycocyanin is made & how can we get benefit from using it within different applications

Processing Information

Extraction Processing details which is applicable and include HACCP & CCPS plan

CCP1 CCP2 CCP3 CCP4
Certified Spirulina powder Seperation of Solid Liquid Spray dying Put In storage
Soak Raw Material Filtration & Ultra filtration Mixing,sieving & packing  
Breaking the cells of spirulina Ultra High speed centrifugation Foreign Material detection  

Subunits of Phycobiliproteins

  • There are two subunits of phycobiliproteins, “Alpha & beta”, which have the protein’s backbone where one or two tetrapyrrole chromophores are covalently bound.
  • Phycocyanin is usually found in the cyanobacteria, which grow nearby hot weather because it can remain stable up to 70 °C, with light-absorbing behaviours at 20 and 70 °C.
  • Thermophiles contain a bit different aminoalkanoic acid cycle making them stable under these higher conditions.
  • The relative molecular mass is about 30,000 Da. 
  • The stability of this protein invitro at these temperatures has been disported to be substantially lower.
  • Photo-spectral inspection of the protein after 1 min exposure to 65 °C conditions during a purified state demonstrated a 50% loss of tertiary structure.

Making of Phycocyanin

  • There are various methods for the production of Phycocyanin, including photoautotrophic, mixotrophic, heterotrophic, & recombinant production.
  • Production of Phycocyanin happens where cyanobacteria spread in open ponds in tropical or either subtropical regions, whereas the production of 
  • Mixotrophic algae grow in the culture where they have the source of organic carbon like glucose.
  • Let us have a look at Subunits of Phycocyanin.

Subunits of Phycocyanin

  • Phycocyanins are made up of phycocyanobilin as chromophores are specified to C-phycocyanins C-PC. 
  • The monomer of C-PC contain dissimilar α- and β-polypeptide units (∼20 kDa), containing 1 & 2 phycocyanobilins covalently sure to cysteines at position 84 (α) and 84 and 155 (β) 
  • The monomers aggregate quickly to make trimers (α,β)3 and hexamers (α,β)6 
  • The latter is an essential part of the phycobilisomes—a supramolecular assembly of phycobiliproteins in cyanobacteria and algae.

Intro to Phycobiliproteins

Phycobiliproteins are proteins that set up light-harvesting antenna complexes (phycobilisomes) and act as photosynthetic accessory pigments in cyanobacteria and alga (Yan et al., 2010).

They might even be used as storage protein in some algae, deteriorate to provide nitrogen within the absence of nitrogen.

Usage Of Phycocyanin

This natural pigment is primarily used in Japan & China as a colouring agent, and it includes various health benefits like, For instance

  • It promotes blood cell growth
  • It also Improve immune function 
  • Make health good enough to fight with various diseases
  • And many Other health benefits

Application

Cosmetics

  • Dairy products
  • Jellies, Gum candies
  • Beverages
  • Cosmetics

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