Purification and bioactivities of phycocyanin.

Phycocyanin is an important light-harvesting pigment antenna protein in cyanobacteria, rhodophyta, cryptophyta, and glaucophyta, with a variety of bioactivities. The introduction of purification and bioactivities of phycocyanin contributes to a significant improvement in developing it into final processed products. In fact, the knowledge of phycocyanin has experienced a rapid increase in the past 20 years, and has promoted the relevant technological revolution with a decisive contribution to final application. The purpose of this review is to critically introduce the present knowledge of purification and bioactivities of phycocyanin, and to illustrate main problems and prospects.