Ng, J. W., Teh, T. M., Melanie, W., & Talukder, Md. M. R. (2024). Integrating bead milling and alkaline solubilization for enhanced protein recovery from microalgae: A comprehensive approach. Future Foods, 9, 100385. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fufo.2024.100385
Abstract:
Microalgae, Chlorella vulgaris exhibits substantial potential as a sustainable food ingredient, but its robust cell
wall and limited protein solubility hinder industrial scale protein recovery. A comprehensive solution was
devised, integrating dry bead milling and alkaline solubilization. In this method, cells were initially disrupted
with bead milling followed by alkali (NaOH) treatment. Without bead milling, protein extraction yield was very
low (5.0 % with water, 16.8 % with 0.1 M NaOH) at a biomass loading of 20 g/L. However, the integrated
approach significantly improved these results, achieving a maximum protein extraction yield of about 47.3 % at
a biomass loading of 100 g/L. The optimized conditions for both dry bead milling (frequency 26 Hz, duration 1.0
h) and alkaline solubilization (biomass weight to NaOH molar ratio 200–250 (g/M), 37 ◦C, mixing time 1.0 h)
played a pivotal role in realizing these improved results. This integrated approach effectively addresses the
challenges and holds industrial relevance, offering a more efficient way to extract microalgal protein.
License type:
Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Funding Info:
This research / project is supported by the A*STAR - Singapore-New Zealand Bilateral Research Programme on Future Foods
Grant Reference no. : SGNZ2020-A20D3b0072