Comparison of different methods of pigment extraction from alga Chlorella vulgaris

Alga Chlorella vulgaris izvor je brojnih bioaktivnih molekula kojima se pripisuju brojni zdravstveni benefiti. Jednu od značajnijih skupina bioaktivnih molekula čine spojevi iz skupine klorofila i karotenoida. Stoga je cilj ovog rada bio je optimizirati postupak ekstrakcije klorofila a i b te karotenoida iz zelene mikroalge Chlorella vulgaris. Ekstrakcija je provedena primjenom klasičnih postupaka uz kontinuirano miješanje otapala i uzorka primjenom centrifuge i magnetske miješalice pri sobnoj temperaturi te primjenom ekstrakcije potpomognute ultrazvukom. Sve tri tehnike ekstrakcije provedene su u kombinaciji s tri različita otapala (etanol, 80 % aceton, metanol) kroz tri različita vremena ekstrakcije (5, 10 i 15 minuta). Udjeli klorofila a, b i ukupnih karotenoida određeni su spektrofotometrijskom metodom. Rezultati su pokazali da je Chlorella vulgaris dobar izvor pigmenata i da su optimalni uvjeti izolacije pigmenata postignuti primjenom ekstrakcije potpomognute ultrazvukom i metanola u trajanju od 15 minuta za klorofile i 14 minuta za karotenoide.Alga Chlorella vulgaris is the source of many bioactive molecules which have numerous health benefits. One of the most significant groups of bioactive molecules are compounds from chlorophyll and carotenoid groups. The aim of this paper was to optimize the extraction process of chlorophyll a, b and carotenoids from green microalga Chlorella vulgaris. The extraction was carried out using conventional methods with continuous mixing of the solvent and sample with a centrifuge and magnetic stirrer at room temperature and by ultrasound-assisted extraction. All three extraction techniques were carried out in combination with three different solvents (ethanol, 80 % acetone, methanol) through three different extraction times (5, 10 and 15 minutes). The concentrations of chlorophyll a, b and total carotenoids were determined by spectrophotometric method. The results have shown that Chlorella vulgaris is a good source of pigments and that optimal extraction conditions are achieved by ultrasound-assisted extraction and methanol for 15 minutes for chlorophylls and 14 minutes for carotenoids