Production of the natural blue dye phycocyanin by the cyanobacterium Arthrospira platensis KU Leuven
Dyes are widely used to colour foodstuffs, cosmetics and textiles. Due to the increasing preference of the consumers to natural over synthetic dyes, sythetic dyes are being replaced by natural ones. Phycocyanin is a blue phycobiliprotein pigment produced commercially from the biomass of the cyanobacterium Arthrospira. It is used as a natural colorant in the food industry (mainly in candies and beverages) and can be potentially used in textile ...