Phycocyanin- The Pigment With A Purpose

Phycocyanins are the pigment protein complex from the light harvesting phycobiliprotein family along with allophycocyanin and phycoerythron. Phycocyanin is a blue coloured pigment, has major potential as an antioxidant, natural colouring agent, enhancing immunity and has unique antiviral, anticancer property and antimicrobial activity. Antimicrobial activity of cyanobacteria is due to its phycocyanin pigment. Present study focusses on the Antimicrobial ( anti fungal and antibacterial) activity of C-Phycocyanin to curb bacterial and fungal growth. Cyanobacterial strains used for my study and research were Anabaena variabilis and Synechococcus elongates. Bacterial strain used was Eschericia coli and fungal strain used was Aspergillus niger. The objective of research was to check antimicrobial activity of C-Phycocyanin extracted from both cyanobacterial strains against bacteria and fungi which was determined from the zone of inhibition observed against both fungal and bacterial strains. It was also found that older the C-Phycocyanin extract more is its antimicrobial activity. Hence work focussed on its ability to be used as an antimicrobial drug