GRANTED INVENTION PATENT

Technology Title: Process for Obtaining Phycocyanin Using Ionic Liquid and EDTA

Inventors:

Susana Juliano Kalil (Lattes CV)
Luisa Sala (Lattes CV)
Caroline Costa Moraes (Lattes CV)

Academic Unit: School of Chemistry and Food – EQA

Overview: This technology refers to a selective extraction process for phycocyanin from microalgae and cyanobacteria. Ionic liquid or ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) diluted in aqueous or organic solvents is used for cell disruption. Subsequently, extraction is carried out using aqueous or organic solvents. The obtained phycocyanin reaches food-grade purity (above 0.7), enabling its direct use as a natural colorant in the food industry without requiring additional purification steps after extraction.

Technological Advantage: The interest in obtaining phycocyanin arises from its valuable pharmaceutical and food-related properties. Therefore, producing this biocompound in a simple and cost-effective manner, as described in this technology, is highly attractive to the industrial sector. The proposed process, which uses ionic liquid and EDTA for the selective release of the bioproduct phycocyanin, is highly efficient and economically advantageous, eliminating the need for pre- or post-extraction purification processes.

Patent Status: Granted. PATENT NO. BR 10 2017 003172 1, issued on November 14, 2023.

Abstract: Available at this link.