Herbal Extraction Plants

Spirulina Platensis

Purity Levels

Protein 55%–90% (process dependent); Phycocyanin co-extraction available

Extraction Technologies

Subcritical Water Extraction (SWE)Enzyme-Assisted Extraction (EAE)

Mechotech designs and manufactures turnkey herbal extraction plants for Spirulina Platensis (Arthrospira platensis), converting fresh or dried Spirulina biomass into high-purity protein isolate/concentrate and phycocyanin-rich natural blue pigment. As a spirulina protein extraction plant manufacturer, we supply the complete cell-disruption, aqueous extraction, membrane filtration, and drying line for the nutraceutical, functional food, sports-nutrition, and cosmetic industries. Candidate extraction technologies for phycocyanin: Subcritical Water Extraction (SWE) and Enzyme-Assisted Extraction (EAE) (2 in total).

Mechotech's Spirulina Platensis plant is engineered around the real biology of this microalga: mechanical cell disruption breaks Spirulina's robust cell wall to release intracellular protein and the prized blue pigment phycocyanin, while low-temperature aqueous extraction and UF/MF membrane filtration concentrate and purify these fractions without thermal degradation. Built in SS 316L with spray or freeze drying and PLC-SCADA automation, each plant is delivered as a commissioned turnkey system configured to meet the customer's target protein/phycocyanin specification, to GMP, HACCP and FSSAI standards.

Technical Specifications

Product	Spirulina Platensis Protein & Phycocyanin Extraction Plant
Botanical/Scientific Name	Arthrospira platensis (commonly marketed as Spirulina)
Feedstock	Microalgae spirulina
Part / Feed Form	Confirm exact plant part / form (to be confirmed with the client)
Target Extract	Phycocyanin
Extract Type	Protein isolate/concentrate, phycocyanin extract, chlorophyll extract
Standardisation	Protein content 55–90% (process dependent); phycocyanin purity by spectrophotometric assay
Extraction Method	SWE, EAE
Technology Count	2
Extraction Conditions	Mechanical cell disruption + low-temperature aqueous extraction (no organic solvent)
Product-contact Material	SS 304 / SS 316L, hygienic, CIP-cleanable
Filtration System	Decanter/disc-stack centrifuge + ultrafiltration (UF) + microfiltration (MF)
Concentration System	Membrane-based protein concentration system
Drying System	Spray dryer (high-volume) or freeze dryer (premium bioactive retention)
Automation	Configurable — manual, semi-automatic or fully automatic PLC-SCADA (recipe-based)
Utility Requirements	Chilled water, cooling tower, compressed air, soft & RO water, power (project-specific)
Compliance	GMP hygienic design; full documentation for qualification
Final Product Form	Spray-dried or freeze-dried protein/phycocyanin powder; liquid concentrate (optional)
Plant Capacity	Reference project: 10 MT/day of spirulina biomass (see the Spirulina Protein Extraction Plant case study)

Plant Capacities

Plant Scale	Raw Material Throughput	Typical Use
Pilot	Configured to your feedstock and trial plan	Product development, parameter validation
Semi-Commercial	Configured between pilot and commercial scale	Contract manufacturing, scale-up trials
Commercial	Reference project: 10 MT/day of spirulina biomass	Commercial production at confirmed buyer volume

The commercial figure is the reference project described in the Spirulina Protein Extraction Plant case study. Capacity is configured to raw-material supply and confirmed buyer volume; we recommend a pilot plant to validate process parameters before scaling.

Manufacturing Process

Each extraction method follows a different process — pick a method to see its steps.

Raw-Material Preparation

Spirulina microalgae is cleaned and size-reduced so phycocyanin can be reached by the extraction medium; particle size and moisture are set during process development.

Vessel Loading & Pressurisation

Prepared spirulina microalgae and water are loaded into a pressure-rated extraction vessel.

Subcritical Water Extraction

Water held liquid under pressure at elevated temperature extracts phycocyanin without an organic solvent; temperature and residence time are set to limit thermal degradation and hydrolysis.

Separation

Spent solids are separated by filtration or centrifugation and the extract is clarified before concentration.

Concentration

The clarified aqueous extract is concentrated under vacuum or by membrane systems where required; no organic solvent is used in this route.

Recovery, Standardisation & Drying

The phycocyanin fraction is recovered from the concentrate by a route selected during process development and checked against the target specification; drying behaviour is verified because polysaccharide-type targets can be heat-sensitive.

Major Plant Equipment

Raw material feeding system
Mixing & slurry preparation tanks
High-shear cell disruption system
Extraction reactors
Decanter centrifuge
Disc stack separator
Ultrafiltration system
Microfiltration system
Protein concentration system
Spray dryer / freeze dryer
Ribbon blender
Storage silos
PLC-SCADA automation panel
Electrical MCC & instrumentation package
CIP system

Plant Output

Spirulina protein isolate and concentrate (Protein 55%–90%, process dependent)Phycocyanin extract (co-extraction available)

Case Study

Spirulina Protein Extraction Plant — Protein Isolate & Phycocyanin Turnkey Project

See how this plant was engineered and delivered for a real project.

Applications

Protein supplements and sports nutrition
Functional foods and plant-based beverages
Nutraceutical capsules and tablets
Natural blue food colour applications
Cosmetic and personal-care ingredient supply
Export to regulated-market ingredient buyers

Key Features

High-Efficiency Cell Disruption
Mechanical cell-disruption technology efficiently breaks Spirulina's tough cell wall to maximise release of intracellular protein and phycocyanin pigment.
Low-Temperature Membrane Purification
UF/MF membrane filtration concentrates and purifies protein and phycocyanin fractions without thermal degradation, preserving nutritional and functional quality.
GMP Hygienic SS 316L Construction
Electropolished SS 316L product-contact surfaces use GMP hygienic design, with CIP operation between batches.
Phycocyanin Co-Recovery
The process is configured to co-recover phycocyanin — a high-value natural blue pigment — alongside protein.
Spray or Freeze Drying Flexibility
A matched spray dryer or freeze dryer converts the purified concentrate into a free-flowing, low-moisture powder suited to the target application and bioactive-retention requirement.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Mechotech supply the complete machinery for Spirulina Platensis?

Yes. Mechotech supplies the complete turnkey plant for Spirulina Platensis — engineered, fabricated at our Hyderabad facility, installed and commissioned as a single integrated system.

What protein purity can the Spirulina Platensis plant achieve?

The plant is engineered to reach protein content of 55–90% depending on the purification depth selected (concentrate vs. isolate), confirmed by batch-release testing with full certificate-of-analysis documentation.

Can the plant also recover phycocyanin, not just protein?

Yes — the membrane-filtration and purification stages are configured to co-recover phycocyanin, the natural blue pigment prized in food colouring and cosmetic applications, alongside the protein isolate/concentrate stream.

What production capacities are available for the Spirulina Platensis plant?

Capacity is selected from raw-material supply, confirmed buyer volume and investment timeline. The reference project in the Spirulina Protein Extraction Plant case study processes 10 MT/day of spirulina biomass; Mechotech recommends a pilot plant to validate process parameters before scaling.

Which industries use the Spirulina Platensis plant?

Nutraceutical, sports-nutrition, functional-food, natural-colour, and cosmetic manufacturers use Mechotech plants for consistent, compliant production.

What is a spirulina extraction plant for phycocyanin?

It is a turnkey Mechotech plant that processes spirulina microalgae to recover phycocyanin. The plant covers raw-material preparation, extraction, separation, concentration or fraction collection, and drying or packing, and is configured to the target specification. It sits within Mechotech's wider range of herbal extraction plants.

Which plant part or feed form does the spirulina plant process?

The candidate feedstock is spirulina microalgae. The exact plant part / feed form is to be confirmed with the client. The target extract is phycocyanin.

Which extraction technologies are suitable for spirulina microalgae?

This feedstock has 2 candidate technologies: Subcritical Water Extraction (SWE) and Enzyme-Assisted Extraction (EAE). See the related pages on subcritical water extraction and enzyme-assisted extraction. These are screening candidates, not guarantees of yield, purity or recovery; the route is confirmed through process development and pilot validation. In Mechotech's technology screening these candidates are ranked directionally — relevant: Subcritical Water Extraction (rank 50 of 100); exploratory: Enzyme-Assisted Extraction (rank 87 of 100). Ranks are directional screening priorities at method-family level, not measured yield, ROI or plant guarantees.

Why do the candidate technologies target phycocyanin when the specification on this page is protein 55%–90% (process dependent) with phycocyanin co-extraction available?

In Mechotech's technology screening the candidate routes are assessed against different targets: the subcritical water and enzyme-assisted routes with phycocyanin as the target. The protein 55%–90% (process dependent) with phycocyanin co-extraction available specification on this page is the catalogue specification for this product; which target and grade apply is confirmed during process development and pilot validation.

How does the spirulina extraction process work?

Each route follows the same outline: prepare spirulina microalgae, extract phycocyanin using the technology-specific step, separate and clarify the extract, concentrate it, and recover, standardise and dry. The process tabs above show the steps for each listed technology.

What equipment does the spirulina extraction plant include?

The equipment follows the selected route and includes raw material feeding system; mixing & slurry preparation tanks; high-shear cell disruption system; extraction reactors; decanter centrifuge; disc stack separator; ultrafiltration system; microfiltration system. The full list is shown under Major Plant Equipment.

Which related Mechotech extraction pages cover the same material or target?

Chlorella soluble protein is covered on the Chlorella Microalgae Soluble Protein Extract page, and astaxanthin from Haematococcus on the Haematococcus Microalgae Astaxanthin page. The reference project is described in the Spirulina Protein Extraction Plant case study.

Is spray drying or freeze drying better for Spirulina protein?

Spray drying suits high-volume production at lower cost; freeze drying better preserves heat-sensitive phycocyanin and other bioactives for premium-grade products. Mechotech configures the plant with the dryer — or both — best matched to your target product mix. For other plant-protein extraction lines, see our Soybean Extract Powder plant.

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Spirulina Platensis