EXTRACTION OF CHLOROPHYLL AND CAROTENOID-PIGMENTS FROM ANTARCTIC BENTHIC MATS FOR ANALYSIS BY HPLC

The efficiency of 9:1 acetone-water, DMSO and boiling 9:1 ethanol-water in extracting chlorophyll and carotenoid pigments from benthic cyanobacterial mats from Antarctica for HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography) analysis was examined. Considerable breakdown of chlorophyll alpha was observed after 5 min extraction in boiling ethanol and 2 h extraction in DMSO. Over 50% of the chlorophyll alpha was degraded to chlorophyllide alpha and there was substantial loss of carotenoids after a 15 h exposure of ground cells to cold 9:1 acetone-water. Mild sonication of ground mat material in 9:1 acetone-water followed by a 4 h extraction at 4 degrees C was found to minimise chlorophyll alpha breakdown and dramatically improved the extraction efficiency of chlorophyll alpha, myxoxanthophyll and beta-carotene.