PLEXIM

Duration from 01.08.2023 - 31.07.2025, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) under the funding code (FKZ) 03WIR2222.

The Plant³-WIR! joint project PLEXIM deals with the extraction of ingredients from the model alga Galdieria sulphuraria using physical plasma. The consortium consists of the Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology e.V., Algenfarm Klötze GmbH & Co. KG and BioActive Food GmbH from Bad Segeberg.

The aim of the project is to qualify "plasma extraction" as a technology relevant to the bioeconomy for the extraction of plant ingredients. The plant-based colorant phycocyanin is mainly extracted from cyanobacteria as a food colorant or dietary supplement. Studies have shown that the substance has antioxidant properties and can be used as an adjuvant in neurodegenerative diseases or cancer. The natural blue food colorant phycocyanin is currently obtained exclusively through the cold-water extraction of spirulina biomass, a cyanobacterium. This is grown phototrophically, mostly in Asia. The market for phycocyanin is growing rapidly and the extraction of Spirulina biomass in appropriate qualities is increasingly becoming a problem, as cultivation in open ponds requires large areas and cannot be expanded at will. In contrast, the model algae for this project can be cultivated cost-effectively in photobioreactors or fermenters, both indoors and outdoors, making it seasonally independent in terms of harvesting and free from contamination. The aim of this project is to validate a process in which phycocyanin is obtained gently but effectively from the extremophilic microalgae Galdieria sulphuraria using physical plasma. In order to make the algae usable in a holistic way, the extracts obtained using plasma are also examined in cell experiments. The literature suggests that the microalgae contains substances with anti-inflammatory properties. The aim is therefore to examine whether inflammation markers in the skin cell lines are positively influenced and whether the algae could possibly serve as a source of raw materials for a cosmetic product against seborrhoeic eczema.