Eco-Friendly Extraction to Enhance Antioxidants and Nutritional Value in Arthrospira platensis

The cyanobacterium Arthrospira platensis (Spirulina) has a global annual production of approximately 18,000 tons. Spirulina has notable nutritional benefits and is a key component of dietary supplements. However, efficiently extracting its bioactive compounds poses challenges. This study aimed to develop an eco-innovative method to enhance Spirulina’s antioxidant and nutritional values. The extraction protocol included a maceration step in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS, pH 7.4) at 5 °C for 48 h, followed by ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) at 400 W and 30 kHz, with a frequency of 30 cycles per min (consisting of 1 s on/off cycles, for a total of 6 extraction cycles). The proposed methodology allowed for the quantitative recovery of high-value compounds from Spirulina raw material (control), with increased yields of total lipids (+20.29%), total fatty acids (+60.48%), allophycocyanin (Apc, +41.41%), phycoerythrin (Pe, +81.42%), carotenoids (+30.84%), and polyphenols (+65.99%), leading to a boost in antioxidant activity (+42.95%). Conversely, the recoveries of proteins (−16.65%), carbohydrates (−18.84%), and phycocyanin (Pc, −0.77%) were incomplete. This study suggests a green extraction approach using PBS coupled with UAE, with promising energy and cost savings and potential applications in the dietary supplement sector.