Salinity mediated enhancement in protein and pigment content in Spirulina (Arthrospira) platensis

Spirulina (Arthrospira) platensis a filamentous multi cellular cyanobacterium utilized as animal feed and human food supplement. This cyanobacterium is also a rich source of value-added pigments with diverse applications in the food industry, pharmaceuticals and molecular biology. This report describes a procedure for enhancement of the yield of value-added pigment; c-phycocyanin (CPC) through the manipulation of salinity of the medium. The increase in salinity (sodium chloride-NaCl) from 0 to 3 g l(-1) of the prescribed growth medium resulted in a considerable increase (11.83%) in CPC content. Growth of the organism and the purity of the CPC were not affected at elevated salt concentration. However, a further increase in the salinity (NaCl) from 3 to 7 g l(-1) resulted in a decline in the content (26.67%) and purity (31.13%) of CPC. Considering the enhanced growth and CPC content through the manipulation of the concentration of the salt NaCl in the medium, it is concluded that a moderate amount of the salt (3 g NaCl) in the medium is a feasible and cost-effective approach for obtaining elevated protein biomass and enhanced the yield of the value-added pigment CCPS.