Microwave-assisted (MAE) and ultrasound-assisted (UAE) extraction methods to efficiently extract the C-phycocyanin (C-PC) from the blue-green algae, Spirulina platensis, were compared. The results showed that the linear and interaction effects of two parameters of extraction time and buffer pH on C-PC concentration and purity ratio were significant. The C-PC concentration was enhanced by increasing extraction time up to 7 and 25 min for UAE (2.84 mg/mL) and MAE (4.54 mg/mL) processes, respectively. The extraction time significantly had more effect than the buffer pH value on the purity ratio. The highest purity ratio of C-PC in UAE (0.65) and MAE (1.27) technologies was obtained in buffer pH values of 6.0 and 7.0, respectively. The C-PC extracted from the MAE system significantly had higher concentration and purity than that obtained using the UAE procedure. Thus, MAE as an efficient method can be applied to extract heat-sensitive C-PC from S. platensis in an industrial scale.

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