Purification of Seaweed Proteins, Peptides, and Amino Acids

Introduction

Seaweeds, especially red seaweeds, contain up to 47% protein on a dry weight basis, which is higher than some traditional protein-rich foods (e.g., meat, eggs, soy, and milk). The structure and biological properties of seaweed proteins are still unclear. Most algal bioactive components, including proteins, are reported to be located intracellularly under highly rigid and structurally complex algal cell walls, which is a major barrier to efficient extraction and digestion of protein fractions. In addition, the poor digestibility of proteins from seaweeds in their raw, unprocessed form constitutes a physical barrier in the absence of digestive enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract. It greatly emphasizes the need for protein extraction techniques to improve their digestibility.

Fig. 1. Extraction, purification and isolation procedures of bioactive peptides from seaweed protein. (Admassu H, et al., 2018)

Customized Solutions

The amount of protein extracted from seaweeds depends on various factors such as species, seasonal variations, pretreatment, a combination of extraction methods, preservation methods, extraction methods, and their process parameters. The most influential factor in seaweed protein extraction is the complex rigid cell wall, the composition of which varies from species to species. Our scientists develop customized processes for extracting proteins, amino acids, and bioactive peptides from seaweeds.

Fig. 2. Simplified diagram of proteins, amino acids, and bioactive peptides extracted from seaweeds.

Lifeasible has a comprehensive technology platform to purify proteins from seaweeds.

Conventional or Classical Methods

We offer physical, chemical, or enzymatic methods to disrupt microalgae cell walls.

• Physical cell disruption methods are based on the hydrophilic nature of most proteins. Chemical methods, including acidic (HCl) and alkaline (NaOH) treatments, can significantly increase the solubility and extraction rate of highly water-insoluble proteins in seaweed. However, these two methods are relatively time-consuming and extract proteins in the range of 29-59%.
• Proteins in seaweed species are bound to non-protein components such as polysaccharides and polyphenols. We offer polysaccharidases or proteases to degrade polysaccharides prior to protein extraction, which can achieve up to 67% higher protein yields.

Novel Protein Extraction Technologies

• We also offer other technologies for protein extraction, such as microwave-assisted, supercritical fluid, ultra-high pressure, pressurized liquid, pulsed electric field, and ultrasound-assisted. These techniques allow the production and isolation of bioactive substances of interest with functional properties by dispersing cell wall polysaccharides.

Isolation Methods for Bioactive Peptides from Seaweeds

We offer ultrafiltration membranes and gel permeation chromatography to isolate peptides with desired molecular weight from seaweeds efficiently.

• The main advantages of ultrafiltration technology are the ability to filter large amounts of hydrolysates and moderate energy consumption.
• Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and mass spectrometry-mass spectrometry (MS-MS) are used to identify the amino acid sequences of the isolated peptides to characterize their molecular structure and quality and then to verify the biological activity by testing the chemically synthesized pure peptides.

Advantages of Our Solutions

• Customized service to select the best extraction method based on the protein source.
• Improves the efficiency of protein extraction and obtains the desired functional properties.
• Specificity, mild reaction conditions, and economic cost.

Lifeasible offers a variety of methods to efficiently isolate proteins, amino acids, and peptides with desired molecular weights from seaweeds. If you are interested in our solutions to purify seaweed proteins, peptides, and amino acids, please contact us directly.