Disruption of thin- and thick-wall microalgae using high pressure gases: Effects of gas species, pressure and treatment duration on the extraction of proteins and carotenoids

Publication date: Available online 12 November 2019Source: Journal of Bioscience and BioengineeringAuthor(s): Tze Ching Yong, Pai-Ho Chiu, Chi-Hui Chen, Chun-Hung Hung, Ching-Nen Nathan ChenIndustrial scale microalgal cell disruption requires low cost, high efficiency and structural conservation of biomolecules for biorefinery. Many cultivated microalgae have thick walls and these walls are barriers for efficient cell disruption. Until recently, despite the high biodiversity of microalgae, little attention has been paid to thin-wall microalgal species in the natural environment for the production and recovery of valuable biomolecules. Instead of developing high power cell disruption devices, utilization of thin-wall species would be a better approach. The present paper describes a simple device that was assembled to evaluate the viability and effectiveness of biomolecule extraction from both thin- and thick-wall species as a proof of concept. This device was tested with high-pressure gases including N2, CO2 plus N2, and air as the disruption force. The highest nitrogen pressure, 110 bar, was not able to disrupt the thick-wall microalgal cells. On the other hand, the thin-wall species was disrupted to different degrees using different pressures and treatment durations. In the same treatment duration, higher nitrogen pressure gave better cell disruption efficiency than the lower pressure. However, in the same pressure, longer treatment duration did not give better efficiency t...
Source: Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering - Category: Biomedical Science Source Type: research