Comparación de dos métodos de disrupción celular (Ultrasonido y Micronización) para la extracción de proteínas en microalgas

Abstract

The great potential of cyanobacteria and microalgae to be an alternative food source with a complete nutritional profile of proteins and amino acids. These organisms require special processing to allow cell disruption and facilitate further extraction of potential nutrients. The objective of this work was to evaluate cell disruption methods such as micronization, ultrasound and high speed dispersion on the cyanobacterium Spirulina platensis and the microalgae Chlorella vulgaris as a facilitator for the extraction of amino acids and proteins. The ultrasound method proved not to be efficient, so micronization and high-speed dispersion (ultraturrax) were prioritized. The modification of the treatment times and the solvents used were variable for the analysis of the disruptive capacity. The biomasses were subjected to extractive processes in order to evaluate the concentration of proteins present. In the case of Spirulina platensis, greater cell disruption was obtained with the micronization technique; however, the amount of protein quantified was greater in the extract obtained with the ultraturrax technique. The opposite was the case for Chlorella vulgaris, where a higher protein content and greater cell disruption were quantified with the micronization technique than with the ultraturrax technique. It was concluded that cell disruption and metabolite extraction may be influenced not only by the methodology applied but also by the morphological and physiological characteristics of each species used.