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Thermic and techno-functional properties of Arthrospira platensis protein fractions obtained by membrane separation process

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Abstract

The high protein content of Arthrospira platensis makes this cyanobacterium a great component of food. Thus, the protein obtained should guarantee the nutrient characteristic, in this case, as bioactivity and techno-functional properties. Membrane separation processes (MSPs) have been highlighted by their capacity to separate proteins and keep their properties. Therefore, MSP was used to concentrate and separate the proteins from A. platensis, which were characterized by their physicochemical and techno-functional properties. Different ultrafiltration (UF) membranes and operational conditions (10- and 50-kDa pore size, conventional and tangential flow, hollow fiber type and pressures of 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 bar) were tested and associated with diafiltration (DF). The maximized condition of UF/DF (hollow fiber, 50 kDa, tangential flow at 1.5 bar, associated with one DF) was up scaled (pilot scale) and allowed concentrate and permeate fractions with 81.75% and 61.20% of protein, respectively, to be obtained. A protein concentrate with 142 mg L−1 of phycocyanin, 90% of antioxidant activity, with proteins more soluble at high pH (50% soluble protein at pH 7.0) and molecular weight among 5–15 and 100 kDa, was obtained. Protein thermal and emulsifying properties were maintained by the MSP, and the concentrate fraction presented results similar as A. platensis biomass, which confirms the advantage of this method in guaranteeing the protein quality.

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Funding

The research was supported by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior—Brasil (CAPES)—Finance Code 001 and URI (Universidade Regional Integrada do Alto Uruguai e das Missões—Campus Erechim). CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico) and FAPERGS (Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul) also provided the infrastructure and financial support to develop this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Food Engineering, URI Erechim, Av. Sete de Setembro 1621, Erechim, RS, 99700-000, Brazil

    Anne Luize Lupatini Menegotto, Ilizandra Aparecida Fernandes, Juliana Steffens & Eunice Valduga

  2. Graduate Program in Environmental and Civil Engineering, University of Passo Fundo, Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    Luciane Maria Colla

  3. Exact Sciences and Technology Centre, University of Caxias do Sul (UCS), Caxias do Sul, RS, 95070-560, Brazil

    Jocelei Duarte & Mára Zeni Andrade

  4. Food Science and Technology Department, Facultad de Química, Universidad de la República, 11800, Montevideo, Uruguay

    Cecilia Abirached

  5. Center for Research on Colloidal Systems (NUESC), Institute of Research and Technology (ITP), Tiradentes University (UNITI), Aracaju, SE, 49032-490, Brazil

    Elton Franceschi

Authors
  1. Anne Luize Lupatini Menegotto
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  2. Ilizandra Aparecida Fernandes
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  3. Luciane Maria Colla
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  7. Elton Franceschi
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  8. Juliana Steffens
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  9. Eunice Valduga
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Contributions

Anne Luize Lupatini Menegotto: conceptualization, methodology, investigation, data curation, formal analysis, writing—original draft. Ilizandra Aparecida Fernandes: data curation. Luciane Maria Colla: data curation. Jocelei Duarte: data curation. Mára Zeni Andrade: investigation, data curation. Cecilia Abirached: investigation, data curation, formal analysis. Elton Franceschi: data curation, Formal analysis. Juliana Steffens: conceptualization, methodology, investigation, data curation, formal analysis. Eunice Valduga: conceptualization, methodology, investigation, data curation, formal analysis.

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Correspondence to Juliana Steffens.

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Menegotto, A.L.L., Fernandes, I.A., Colla, L.M. et al. Thermic and techno-functional properties of Arthrospira platensis protein fractions obtained by membrane separation process. J Appl Phycol 32, 3885–3900 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-020-02219-9

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