Influence of microalgae cell wall characteristics on protein extractability and determination of nitrogen-to-protein conversion factors (original) (raw)

Abstract

Additional evidence about the influence of the cell wall physical and chemical characteristics on protein extractability was determined by calculating the conversion factors of five different microalgae known to have different cell wall composition, and their protein extracts. The conversion factors obtained for crude rigid cell walled Chlorella vulgaris, Nannochloropsis oculata and Haematococcus pluvialis were 6.35, 6.28 and 6.25, respectively, but for their protein extracts the values were lower with 5.96, 5.86 and 5.63. On the other hand, conversion factor obtained for fragile cell walled microalgae Porphyridium cruentum and Athrospira platensis was 6.35 for the former and 6.27 for the latter, with no significant difference for their protein extract with 6.34 for the former and 6.21 for the latter. In addition, the highest hydro-soluble protein percentage recovered from total protein was for P. cruentum 80.3 % and A. platensis 69.5 % but lower for C. vulgaris with 43.3 %, N. oculata with 33.3 % and H. pluvialis with 27.5 %. The study spotted the light on the influence of the cell wall on evaluating the conversion factor and protein extractability. In addition, it showed the necessity of finding the conversion factor every time accurate protein quantification is required, and proved that there is not a universal conversion factor that can be recommended.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

• Starting from 10 chapters or articles per month
• Access and download chapters and articles from more than 300k books and 2,500 journals
• Cancel anytime View plans

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1

The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

• Adda M, Merchuk JC, Arad S (1986) Effect of nitrate on growth and production of cell-wall polysaccharide by the unicellular red alga Porphyridium. Biomass 10:131–140
  Article CAS Google Scholar
• Aflalo C, Meshulam Y, Zarka A, Boussiba S (2007) On the relative efficiency of two- vs. one-stage production of astaxanthin by the green alga Haematococcus pluvialis. Biotechnol Bioeng 98:300–305
  Article PubMed CAS Google Scholar
• Arad S, Adda M, Cohen E (1985) The potential of production of sulfated polysaccharides from Porphyridium. Plant Soil 89:117–127
  Article CAS Google Scholar
• Arad S, Friedman O, Rotem A (1988) Effect of nitrogen on polysaccharide production in a Porphyridium sp. Appl Environ Microbiol 54:2411–2414
  PubMed CAS Google Scholar
• Barbarino E, Lourenço SO (2005) An evaluation of methodologies for extraction and quantification of protein of marine macro-and microalgae. J Appl Phycol 17:447–460
  Article CAS Google Scholar
• Becker EW (1994) Microalgae biotechnology and microbiology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
  Google Scholar
• Crossman DJ, Clements KD, Cooper GJS (2000) Determination of protein for studies of marine herbivory: a comparison of methods. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 244:45–65
  Article CAS Google Scholar
• Diniz GS, Barbarino E, Oiano-Neto J, Pacheco S, Lourenço SO (2011) Gross chemical profile and calculation of nitrogen-to-protein conversion factors for five tropical seaweeds. Am J Plant Sci 2:287–296
  Article CAS Google Scholar
• Fradique M, Batista AP, Nunes MC, Gouveia L, Bandarra NM, Raymundo A (2010) Incorporation of Chlorella vulgaris and Spirulina maxima biomass in pasta products. Part 1: preparation and evaluation. J Sci Food Agric 90:1656–1664
  Article PubMed CAS Google Scholar
• Fujihara S, Kasuga A, Aoyagi Y (2001) Nitrogen-to-protein conversion factors for common vegetables in Japan. J Food Sci 66:412–415
  Article CAS Google Scholar
• Geresh S, Arad S (1991) The extracellular polysaccharides of the red microalgae: chemistry and rheology. Bioresour Technol 38:195–201
  Article CAS Google Scholar
• Geresh S, Mamontov A, Weinstein J (2002) Sulfation of extracellular polysaccharides of red microalgae: preparation, characterization and properties. J Biochem Biophys Meth 50:179–187
  Article PubMed CAS Google Scholar
• Gonzalez Lopez CV, García MDCC, Fernandez FGA, Bustos CS, Chisti Y, Sevilla JMF (2010) Protein measurements of microalgal and cyanobacterial biomass. Bioresour Technol 101:7587–7591
  Article CAS Google Scholar
• Hagen C, Siegmund S, Braune W (2002) Ultrastructure and chemical changes in the cell wall of Haematococcus pluvialis (Volvocales, Chlorophyta) during aplanospore formation. Eur J Phycol 37:217–226
  Article Google Scholar
• Lee RE (2008) Phycology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
  Book Google Scholar
• Loubiere K, Pruvost J, Aloui F, Legrand J (2011) Investigations in an external-loop airlift photobioreactor with annular light chambers and swirling flow. Chem Eng Res Des 89:164–171
  Article CAS Google Scholar
• Lourenço SO, Barbarino E, Marquez UML, Aidar E (1998) Distribution of intracellular nitrogen in marine microalgae: basis for the calculation of specific nitrogen-to-protein conversion factors. J Phycol 34:798–811
  Article Google Scholar
• Lourenço SO, Barbarino E, De-Paula JC, Pereira LODS, Marquez UML (2002) Amino acid composition, protein content and calculation of nitrogen-to-protein conversion factors for 19 tropical seaweeds. Phycol Res 50:233–241
  Article Google Scholar
• Lourenço SO, Barbarino E, Lavan PL, Lanfer Marquez UM, Aidar E (2004) Distribution of intracellular nitrogen in marine microalgae: calculation of new nitrogen-to-protein conversion factors. Eur J Phycol 39:17–32
  Article Google Scholar
• Lowry OH, Rosebrough NJ, Farr AL, Randall RJ (1951) Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. J Biol Chem 193:265–275
  PubMed CAS Google Scholar
• Lu HK, Hsieh CC, Hsu JJ, Yang YK, Chou HN (2006) Preventive effects of Spirulina platensis on skeletal muscle damage under exercise-induced oxidative stress. Eur J Appl Physiol 98:220–226
  Article PubMed Google Scholar
• Mendes-Pinto MM, Raposo MFJ, Bowen J, Young AJ, Morais R (2001) Evaluation of different cell disruption processes on encysted cells of Haematococcus pluvialis: effects on astaxanthin recovery and implications for bioavailability. J Appl Phycol 13:19–24
  Article Google Scholar
• Montsant A, Zarka A, Boussiba S (2001) Presence of a nonhydrolyzable biopolymer in the cell wall of vegetative cells and astaxanthin-rich cysts of Haematococcus pluvialis (Chlorophyceae). Mar Biotechnol 3:515–521
  Article PubMed CAS Google Scholar
• Moore S, Stein WH (1948) Photometric ninhydrin method for use in the chromatography of amino acids. J Biol Chem 176:367–388
  PubMed CAS Google Scholar
• Mossé J (1990) Nitrogen-to-protein conversion factor for ten cereals and six legumes or oilseeds. A reappraisal of its definition and determination. Variation according to species and to seed protein content. J Agric Food Chem 38:18–24
  Article Google Scholar
• Nguyen RT, Harvey HR (1994) A rapid micro-scale method for the extraction and analysis of protein in marine samples. Mar Chem 45:1–14
  Article CAS Google Scholar
• Payne MF, Rippingale RJ (2000) Evaluation of diets for culture of the calanoid copepod Gladioferens imparipes. Aquaculture 187:85–96
  Article Google Scholar
• Peterson GL (1979) Review of the Folin phenol protein quantitation method of Lowry, Rosebrough, Farr and Randall. Anal Biochem 100:201–220
  Article PubMed CAS Google Scholar
• Sobczuk T, Camacho F, Grima E, Chisti Y (2006) Effects of agitation on the microalgae Phaeodactylum tricornutum and Porphyridium cruentum. Bioproc Biosys Eng 28:243–250
  Article CAS Google Scholar
• Sriperm N, Pesti GM, Tillman PB (2011) Evaluation of the fixed nitrogen-to-protein (N:P) conversion factor (6.25) versus ingredient specific N:P conversion factors in feedstuffs. J Sci Food Agric 91:1182–1186
  Article PubMed CAS Google Scholar
• Vonshak A (1997) Spirulina platensis (Arthrospira). Physiology, cell-biology and biotechnology. Taylor and Francis, London
  Google Scholar
• Yeoh HH, Truong VD (1996) Protein contents, amino acid compositions and nitrogen-to-protein conversion factors for cassava roots. J Sci Food Agric 70:51–54
  Article CAS Google Scholar

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Alpha Biotech for providing the biomass and also we are thankful to Dr Philippe Michaud, Dr Celine Laroche, Mr Jean-François Fabre and Mrs Cécile Pouzet for their support and expertise. This work was supported by the French National Research Agency (ANR) in the context of Algoraffinerie project.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

1. INP-ENSIACET, Laboratoire de Chimie Agro-industrielle (LCA), Université de Toulouse, 31030, Toulouse, France
   Carl Safi, Michaël Charton, Olivier Pignolet, Françoise Silvestre, Carlos Vaca-Garcia & Pierre-Yves Pontalier
2. INRA, UMR 1010 CAI, 31030, Toulouse, France
   Carl Safi, Michaël Charton, Olivier Pignolet, Françoise Silvestre, Carlos Vaca-Garcia & Pierre-Yves Pontalier

Authors

1. Carl Safi
2. Michaël Charton
3. Olivier Pignolet
4. Françoise Silvestre
5. Carlos Vaca-Garcia
6. Pierre-Yves Pontalier

Corresponding author

Correspondence toCarl Safi.

Rights and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Safi, C., Charton, M., Pignolet, O. et al. Influence of microalgae cell wall characteristics on protein extractability and determination of nitrogen-to-protein conversion factors.J Appl Phycol 25, 523–529 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-012-9886-1

Download citation

• Received: 05 May 2012
• Revised: 25 July 2012
• Accepted: 25 July 2012
• Published: 08 August 2012
• Issue date: April 2013
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-012-9886-1

Keywords