Algae pigments

Murphy TE, Berberoglu H Effect of algae pigmentation on photobioreactor productivity and scale-up a light transfer perspective, J Quant Spectrosc Radial Transf 112(18) ... 

Chlorophyll b occurs as an accessory pigment of the light-harvesting systems in land plants and green algae, and comprises one-third (or less) of total chlorophyll. The biosynthesis of chlorophyll b has been an area of active research particularly regarding its compartmentalization in chloroplast membranes, identification of the gene for chlorophyllide a oxidase, and characterization of the enzymes involved. ... 

Most of this amount is in the form of fucoxanthin in various algae and in the three main carotenoids of green leaves lutein, violaxanthin, and neoxanthin. Others produced in much smaller amounts but found widely are p-carotene and zeaxanthin. The other pigments found in certain plants are lycopene and capsanthin (Figure 2.2.1). Colorant preparations have been made from all of these compounds and obviously the composition of a colorant extract reflects the profile of the starting material. Carotenoids are probably the best known of the food colorants derived from natural sources. ... 

Natural pigment production for food coloration includes the entire spectrum of biotechnologies. For example, biological production of carotenoid pigments has medical implications because carotenoids are nutritive (pro-vitamin A), antioxidant, and photoprotective. Carotenoids are produced alternately in agricultural systems (plants), industrial bioreactors (bacterial and fungi), and marine systems (cyanobacteria and algae). 

Algae are classified according to their colors (1) Chlorophyceae (green), (2) Rhodophyceae (red), (3) Cyanophyceae (bine-green), and (4) Pheophyceae (brown). The major pigments inclnde chlorophylls a, b, and c, P-carotene, phycocyanin, xanthophylls, and phycoerythrin. All these pigments have great potential for applications in foods, pharmacenticals, and cosmetics. 

Choubert, G. and Heinrich, O., Carotenoid pigments of green alga Haematococcus pluvialis assay on rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss, pigmentation in comparison with synthetic astaxanthin and canthaxanthin. Aquaculture, 112, 217, 1993. 

Typical for algae is that they contain a pigment called Chlorophyll which is responsible for photosynthesis. We consequently can decide that algae belong to the family of plants. 

Brown Algae, such as rhodophyta and phaeophyta. They consist of numerous compilations of thread-like cells, which contain specific brown coloured pigments, like Fe2+ and Mn2+. 

The photosynthetic apparatus in green plants and algae is located in the chloroplast, which is a flattened, double-membraned structure about 150-200 A thick/4,5 The two flat membranes lie one above the other and are united at their peripheries. These double-membraned structures have been termed thylakoids (from the Greek sacklike )/ Each membrane of the thylakoid consists of a water-insoluble lipoprotein complex which contains the light-absorbing chlorophyll and other pigments utilized in photosynthesis. 

The various chlorophyll types are listed in Table 12.1. An alternate resonance form is available for all the chlorophylls listed in Table 12.1 except for bacteriochlorophyll. Chlorophyll a is found in all green plants. In most land plants and algae one also finds chlorophyll b or d. Thus a more correct statement than the one made previously would be that chlorophyll a is the photochemically active pigment in all green plants, as shown by experimenta-tion.<8)... 

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