<span style="font-size:15.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-IN;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">Cultivation of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Spirulina (Arthrospira) platensis</i> in low cost seawater based medium for extraction of value added pigments</span>

Abstract

<span style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:="" "times="" roman";mso-ansi-language:en-in;mso-fareast-language:en-us;="" mso-bidi-language:ar-sa"="">A low cost medium using seawater and prawn hatchery waste water was developed for the cultivation of an economically important cyanobacterium <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Spirulina (Arthrospira) platensis</i>. Quality of the biomass produced was evaluated on the basis of protein and pigment contents (phycocyanin, chlorophyll-a and total carotenoids). A three step process was used for the downstream processing of the biomass produced to obtain a value added pigment phycocyanin. It is evident from the results that there was a negligible effect on growth rate (3-14% decline) in the amended seawater medium as compared to the prescribed growth medium. Phycocyanin content was also comparable (<span style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: " times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-bidi-font-family:="" "times="" roman";color:black;mso-ansi-language:en-in;mso-fareast-language:="" en-us;mso-bidi-language:ar-sa"="">50.9±<span style="font-size:9.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";="" mso-bidi-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-ansi-language:en-in;mso-fareast-language:="" en-us;mso-bidi-language:ar-sa"="">0.48 mg/g for amended seawater and 50.95±0.47 mg/g for prescribed medium). Purity of phycocyanin (<span style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:" times="" new="" roman";="" mso-fareast-font-family:calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:"times="" mso-ansi-language:en-in;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:ar-sa"="">A₆₂₀/A₂₈₀) was in the range of 3.08-3.27 which corresponds to superior quality colorant grade phycocyanin. This investigation provides baseline information about utilization of seawater for biomass production of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">S.platensis</i>,<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"> </i>and also for further downstream processing of biomass for the recovery of high purity phycocyanin.</span></span></span></span>