Polysaccharide extraction from Spirulina sp and its antioxidant capacity

To optimize polysaccharide extraction from Spirulina sp., the effect of solid-to-liquid ratio, extraction temperature and time were investigated using Box-Behnken experimental design and response surface methodology. The results showed that extraction temperature and solid-to-liquid ratio had a significant impact on the yield of polysaccharides. A polysaccharides yield of around 8.3% dry weight was obtained under the following optimized conditions: solid-to-liquid ratio of 1:45, temperature of 90 degrees C, and time of 120 min. The polysaccharide extracts contained rhamnose, which accounted for 53% of the total sugars, with a phenolic content of 45 mg GAE/g sample. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.