Phycobiliproteins production and heavy metals reduction ability of Porphyridium sp

Porphyridium sp is a unicellular red microalgae from Rhodophyta class which produces several high value polymers like polysaccharides, polyunsaturated fatty acids and phycobiliproteins. The phycobiliproteins contents are phycoerythrins, phycocyanins, and allophycocyanins Porphyridium sp has the ability to reduce heavy metals pollution in the environment. This research was conducted in order to find out the potential use of Porphyridium sp for phycobiliproteins production and its ability in reducing the heavy metals Fe3+ and Co2+ in culture media. In this research, Porphyridium sp was cultivated in F2 non-silicate medium. The growth curve of Porphyridium sp was analyzed by cultivation at room temperature for 7 days and the OD 690 was monitored every day. Phycobiliproteins production was evaluated by analyzing the absorbance of the extracts at the wavelengths of 565, 620, and 650 nm. The ability of Porphyridium sp in the reduction of heavy metals Fe3+ and Co2+ was analyzed by AAS and calculated as bioconcentration factor (BCF). The data showed that the growth of Porphyridium sp in the media containing heavy metals Fe3+ and Co2+ was faster than in the control. The highest content of phycoerythrins, phycocyanins, and allophycocyanins of Porphyridium sp was reached after 4 days of cultivation with the addition of Fe3+ at 6.30 ppm. Porphyridium sp reduced Fe3+ and Co2+ in media with BCF values of 10.5804 and 0.1151, respectively.