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Strategy comparison for purifying phycocyanin from microplastic-contaminated Spirulina platensis: A dual evaluation of product quality and microplastic removal

Food Chemistry 2025 Score: 38 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Zhiheng Yue, Zhiheng Yue, Zhiheng Yue, Zhiheng Yue, Xiaodan Liu, Jiahua Wang Yixiao Wang, Xiaodan Liu, Xiaodan Liu, Yang Zhao, Huang Dai, Xiaodan Liu, Huang Dai, Fuwei Pi, Huang Dai, Fuwei Pi, Huang Dai, Xiaodan Liu, Fuwei Pi, Fuwei Pi, Fuwei Pi, Huang Dai, Huang Dai, Huang Dai, Huang Dai, Fuwei Pi, Xin Liu, Huang Dai, Huang Dai, Huang Dai, Huang Dai, Fuwei Pi, Fuwei Pi, Xin Liu, Fuwei Pi, Fuwei Pi, Xiaodan Liu, Jiahua Wang Jiahua Wang Xin Liu, Jiahua Wang Fuwei Pi, Fuwei Pi, Jiahua Wang Jiahua Wang

Summary

Researchers developed integrated purification strategies combining activated carbon adsorption and ammonium sulfate precipitation to recover phycocyanin from microplastic-contaminated Spirulina platensis, finding that the AC-AS method reduced polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon-6, and PET residues to just 2.81% while maintaining food-grade purity.

Polymers

PE PET PP nylon

Microplastic contamination in Spirulina platensis (S. platensis)-derived foods poses significant safety risks, yet previous phycocyanin purification processes lack targeted microplastic removal strategies. This study developed integrated purification strategies, including activated carbon adsorption (AC), liquid biphasic flotation, ammonium sulfate precipitation (AS), and their combinations, to recover phycocyanin from microplastic-contaminated S. platensis. The effectiveness of purification processes wascompared in terms of yield, purity (A/A), microplastic residual rates, and processing time. Microplastic residues were quantified using Raman imaging and Py-GC/MS. The results indicated that the AC-AS and AS-AS methods effectively reduced the residues of polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon-6, and polyethylene terephthalate to 2.81 % and 2.58 %, respectively, through density gradient separation. Moreover, both processes achieved food-grade purity (∼1.3) and higher yield (50.25-50.64 mg/g), outperforming other approaches. Considering efficiency and time cost, the AC-AS method was found to be optimal. This work provides strategies for producing food-grade phycocyanin and mitigating microplastic contamination in the food industry.

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