Abstract

The red macroalga Halymenia durvillei is a cultivated tropical biomass with potential for aqueous recovery of phycoerythrin (PE)-containing fractions. This study investigated the effects of biomass-to-solvent ratio, extraction temperature, extraction time, and extraction cycle on PE concentration, PE extraction yield, PE purity index, soluble protein yield, phenolic- and flavonoid-equivalent responses, and antioxidant capacity in crude aqueous extracts from sun-dried H. durvillei. Aqueous phosphate-buffered extraction was evaluated at 1:25 and 1:50 w/v, −20 to 35 °C, and 24–48 h, under one or two extraction cycles. The condition 1:25 w/v, 35 °C, 48 h, cycle 1 was the most favorable for PE concentration, PE extraction yield, PE purity index, and soluble protein yield, indicating enhanced recovery of PE-containing proteinaceous fractions from the dried algal matrix. By contrast, selected 1:50 w/v conditions enhanced total phenolic and flavonoid-equivalent and antioxidant responses. These findings show that PE recovery and antioxidant-associated co-extractives followed different extraction response patterns and were not co-optimized under the same condition. The extracts should be regarded as crude PE-containing aqueous proteinaceous fractions, with further purification and compound-level characterization required before specific pigment-grade or functional ingredient applications.

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