Development of a microfluidic platform for R-phycoerythrin purification using an aqueous micellar two-phase system

Seručnik, Mojca (author), Vicente, Filipa A. (author), Brečko, Živa (author), Coutinho, João A. P. (author), Ventura, Sónia P. M. (author), Žnidaršič Plazl, Polona (author)

Temperature-dependent aqueous micellar two-phase systems (AMTPSs) have recently been gaining attention in the isolation of high-added-value biomolecules from their natural sources. Despite their sustainability, aqueous two-phase systems, and particularly AMTPSs, have not been extensively applied in the industry, which might be changed by applying process integration and continuous manufacturing. Here, we report for the first time on an integrated microfluidic platform for fast and low-materialconsuming development of continuous protein purification using an AMTPS. A system comprised of a microchannel incubated at high temperature, enabling instantaneous triggering of a two-phase system formation, and a microsettler, allowing complete phase separation at the outlets, is reported here. The separation of phycobiliproteins and particularly the purification of R-phycoerythrin from the contaminant proteins present in the aqueous crude extract obtained from fresh cells of Gracilaria gracilis were thereby achieved. The results from the developed microfluidic system revealed that the fractionation performance was maintained while reducing the processing time more than 20-fold when compared with the conventional lab-scale batch process. Furthermore, the integration of a miniaturized ultrafiltration module resulted in the complete removal of the surfactant from the bottom phase containing R-phycoerythrin, as well as in nearly twofold target protein concentration. The process setup successfully exploits the benefits of process intensification along with the integration of various downstream processes. Further transfer to a meso-scale integrated system would make such a system appropriate for the separation and purification of biomolecules with high commercial interest.

• Language: English
• Keywords: purification, algae, microfluidics, ultrafiltration, protein purification, protein separation, process intensification, aqueous micellar two-phase systems
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FKKT - Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2020
• Number of pages: Str. 17097-17105
• Numbering: Vol. 8, iss. 46
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-122941
• UDC: 66.081.63
• ISSN on article: 2168-0485
• DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c05042
• COBISS.SI-ID: 37812995
• Publication date in RUL: 17.12.2020

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: ACS sustainable chemistry & engineering
• Shortened title: ACS sustain. chem. & eng.
• Publisher: American Chemical Society
• ISSN: 2168-0485
• COBISS.SI-ID: 519846169

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 17.12.2020

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: čiščenje, alge, mikrofluidika, ultrafiltracija, ločevanje proteinov, proteini, bioprocesi, vodni micelarni dvo-fazni sistemi