Comparison of silaffin from two microalgae Chaetoceros calcitrans and Chaetoceros muelleri

Silaffin is one of the proteins found abundantly in microalga Chaetoceros. It is used in the cosmetics, health and nutrition industries. In this study, extracted silaffin from two microalgae Chaetoceros muelleri and Chaetoceros calcitrans have been compared. For the experiment, the silica wall of the samples prepared from Bandar Abbas was extracted by using EDTA and SDS and their protein concentration was measured by Bradford method. Then, molecular weight was estimated by SDS-PAGE electrophoresis to identify the available amino acids. Amino acids were analyzed by HPLC. Results showed a significant difference in the amount of silaffin extracted from C. muelleri compared to C. calcitrans (P<0.05). Also, there was no significant difference between two microalgae in the amount of aspartic acid, asparagine, glycine, valine and tyrosine + alanine (P>0.05). However, the amount of glutamic acid, serine, phenylalanine, isoleucine, leucine, methionine, tryptophan, arginine, threonine, and glutamine + histidine was significantly different (P<0.05). C. muelleri in terms of the protein content of silaffin can be a better option for use in different industries with a biotechnological approach in food and pharmaceutical industries.