Novel adsorption approach for the enrichment of R-Phycoerythrin from marine macroalga Gelidium pusillum

R-Phycoerythrin is a fluorescent and commercially valuable pigment protein present in algae. The extraction, purification and concentration of such biomolecules is a challenge for processing industries. In the present work, enrichment of R-Phycoerythrin was attempted by selective adsorption of other contaminant biomolecules from extract of algal biomass. Different adsorbents (zeolite, molecular sieve, ammonium Y zeolite, silver-exchanged zeolite, mesoporous carbon) and nanoparticles (zinc oxide, graphene oxide, gold and silver) were explored for this purpose. Process conditions such as buffer pH (5, 6, 7 and 8), ionic strength (0.1, 0.35, 0.6, 0.85 and 1.1) and adsorbent levels (w/w) were optimized. Optimization resulted in enrichment of pre-treated R-Phycoerythrin by 3.31 fold with 73.36% yield using zeolite and 2.10 fold with 98.91% yield using gold nanoparticles. This work demonstrates the efficacy of adsorbents and nanoparticles as possible alternatives for enrichment and purification of R-Phycoerythrin with appreciable yield.